Second Chances
by Jhakasi
Summary: Prometheus warned Percy that he was fighting the modern day Trojan War, but no one realized how literally he meant it. Percy must now juggle his godhood, the Dioscuri, love for Thalia, an ancient army of Troy, and the mystery rising from the west. Perlia.
1. Immortality

**A/N: I don't own PJatO or any of the characters. Planning on making this a one-shot, but could expand if there is enough interest, etc. While I do support Percabeth, I desire much more Perlia and Poe lol (even some Pertemis, but that's just a daydream haha). Hope you like, enjoy, or totally hate, either way so long as you review plenty, thanks.**

_(Percy's P.O.V.)_

"Well, what is the final vote then?" Zeus boomed from the Olympian palace atop the Empire State Building in New York. Gods and Goddesses alike both scanned their eyes around at each other suspiciously before the round of votes were cast.

So there I stood, one year after the battle of Olympus, and on my seventeenth birthday. I was encircled by all of the council, even Hades and Hestia were going to be voting for this ocassion. Today I was becoming a God.

"Well, what is the official count?" As previously from last year, it was still quite a unanimous vote in favor of me being the newest addition to the Gods and Goddesses. My stomach had a rumble of mixed emotions, and as I glanced at Aphrodite for a second she just gave me a sympathic look and mouthed "sorry" to me.

Annabeth had gotten to consumed in her work of rebuilding Olympus, though it didn't surprise me much. As her progress continued along at an astonishing pace, her thoughts and feelings for me kept getting pushed further and further aside. That was until a couple of months ago, as I was trying to visit her, when I found her wrapped up in Apollo's embrace. She did look guiltily at me for a moment before staring back into the sun God's eyes and seemed to forget about me completely as they kissed.

I would say that I was devasted, a part of me was but the reality set in that nothing was now holding me back immortality now. I jumped at the chance and told my father Poseidon immediately, and it's taken these three lingering months for them to proceed with the next step.

"It's been decided." Zeus declared as my body began to slightly tingle, and then the next moment burst into a golden flame that seared apart my insides for a brief moment and then died down as fast as it had flared up.

"How do you feel now son?" My father smiled at me, as he instictively flexed my hands open and closed a couple of times.

"So.." I stumbled the words out of my mouth, as if in a trance. I'm really a God now, aren't I?"

Zeus let out a hearty laugh, "To think we now have all of eternity to enjoy such bright observations."

I would have been annoyed with the insult, but from the look in his eyes he seemed to actual find my sea weed brain amusing. Gods, go figure.

_(Poseidon's P.O.V.)_

So my son Perseus was finally an immortal, it was one of the more happier moments in recent decades and perhaps centuries. Not that I didn't have lots of happy moments mind you, just this was extremely special.

"Well, I bet this makes you especially happy Athena?" I smirked at my neice as we all started heading our different ways after the council expired.

"Anything that can keep your mentall damaged brat away from my daughter, makes me more than happy." She stated with a matter of fact smugness to her smile. It was quickly diminshed as Aphrodite, Artemis and Hermes strolled up to our friendly chat.

"Well, I'm surprised at how well your taking all of this, considering your daughter dumped him for our brother Apollo." Artemis scowled at the thought, while Aphrodite delivered the unpleasant news. Athena's face twisted in terror for a moment, causing a snort out of Hermes. She quickly grew angered and chased the God of thieves and travelers off into the deep parts of Olympus somewhere.

Aphrodite still seemed a little distressed about the unfortunate relationship nosedive my son and that girl had taken, but it didn't get her down for very long. "I think maybe Percy needs some extra encourgament now."

She skipped away a bit too cheerfully after the realization of the new and very single God she could try to seduce. I slightly shook my head as Zeus called myself and Artemis both over.

"Yes brother, something you want to discus?" I asked him as Artemis looked on puzzled by his desire to talk more than necessary today.

"I want to discuss Percy's role as a God with both of you, since I believe it will include you both." He paused for his own dramatic effect. "I would like Perseus to become a mortal intermediary."

I was a little taken back by the idea at first, but seeing as how Percy understood why we almost lost to Kronos so well, and his relationship with the other demigods, it trully seemed to be a perfect fit.

"Do you mean to say he would be our go between?" Artemis asked with a deepening scowl.

"Yes, between Olympus and the demigods, even your hunters and any others we might have forgotten or misplaced." The way he said it was so unattached, that it made me slightly wonder how he could even find mortal women interesting enough to know.

"Father... you can't dare ask me that a man, even if it is Perseus, to be able to openly council with my hunters or myself freely!" Artemis outraged at the thought of such implecations.

Zeus simply waved his hand dismissively at her outburst and continued. "I also think we should also get him married as quickly as possible also, I'm giving him one month to find someone. Or for you to help him find them also."

Artemis looked both hurt and infuriated by this. "Really? You want me to help find a suitable immortal bride for a man..." She was once again cut off by a stern glare from Zeus.

"I'm demanding you and Poseidon to help look both, as well as Apollo, Hermes and Aphrodite too. The faster he is married, the less likely he end up with sired demigods running about. It is also less likely he will enchant any of your hunters away from you, at least for a while."

Artemis seemed to understand the request and bowed before stomping off like a small child. I smiled and turned to leave myself before adding. "It'll be quite fun, but you're really thinking of giving Thalia a second chance at this, arent' you?"

Zeus' eyes looked at me discerningly for a moment, before he gave a slight nod and we both turned separate ways.

_(Artermis's P.O.V.)_

I absolutely hated this idea from father, but there was no way I could go against it but I knew that it could easily be far worse than what was being proposed. The way it was being stated was quite clear, at least in my opinion. Perseus Jackson would be choosing an immortal bride within a month's time, and needed a girl who would have absolutely no love for anyone but him. Well, maybe love was stretching it, adoration or a very decent liking might do the trick initially. For the moment I had to inform my girls that we would soon be having a potentially frequent visitor. Oh joy.

"Lady Artemis, you're already back so soon?" My second in command and lieutenant, Thalia Grace, asked me with a puzzled expression at seeing me arrive around a day too early and with an obviously disturbed face and disposition.

"Yes, but before I summon all of the girls together to explain the upcoming headaches, I must speak with you in private." I said, trying to smile at the person I trully trusted the most in the world.

"As you wish, my lady." She replied with a pained look as we both entered my tent.

"Thalia, I'm not sure what whisperings you might have picked up on lately.. but Perseus Jackson was granted Immortality today." My lieutenant gave a slight gasp as her eyes widened with shock.

"What? How did Annabeth take that news.. that blasted kelp head, I should pay him a visit and fry him a couple of times to remind him of.." I interrupted the rant about her friend, which gave me a small piece about having him around the girls.

"He and Annabeth are no longer together." I stated to Thalia a bit too flatly. This cause a 'well duh' look from her for a second, before I raised an eyebrow at her new expression. Thalia quickly blushed and cursed simultaneously.

"It seems your friend Annabeth has become recently enchanted by my annoying, haiku spewing brother." As the last few words escaped from Artemis' lips, Thalia stood up in a rage and even though apologizing was very troubled.

"How.. how could that stupid daughter of Athena be such a shrew! Lady Artemis, where is Percy? Please let me go see him, maybe I can talk to him. I should have been there sooner for him." Artemis was a little bit startled by the shift in her lieutenant's emotions, but it was starting to make sense to her about what was really happening.

"Very well, but you have only one day to do so. Be back by sunset tomorrow so I can properly address all of my hunters as to what will be to come." Thalia bowed and rushed out of the tent, not really bothering to pack as she headed to Camp.

_(Thalia P.O.V)_

I wasn't really aware of what I was doing, but I knew that I was being a terrible friend. That was all I was trying to be, wasn't it? Just a friend to Percy. Oh gods. What if I was being played and this was some mischevious scheme to try and get me to like a boy and abandon the hunt. My frustration mixed with a sense of hurt and more frustration towards Annabeth, but I knew she would be up on Olympus doing all her architecture junk. I admit it took me longer to get to Camp than I had first thought, my mind sort of blanked out when I realized what had happened a couple months ago and then now. I realized that we were camped farther away from Camp then I had anticipated. Focus. Focus.

"Thalia? Where are the rest of the hunters, is something the matter?" Chiron had been asking endless amounts of questions since I arrived only a few minutes ago. I had to assure him nothing was the matter, other than me finding Percy as fast as I could.

"You haven't heard the news?" It was more of a statement than a question. "Percy is the God of mortals and heroes."

Well, that certainly threw me for a loop and I finished putting two and two together. "So this was why Lady Artemis warned me about him having access to our hunt." I refocused on the task I had now, and quickly asked where Percy was.

"He's been staying here at the big house mainly with Mr. D, but he slipped off for some alone time a few hours ago." Before Chiron could say any more, I had turned and bolted out of the big house and down to the lake as fast as I could possibly travel.

It only took a couple more minutes before I saw the seaweed brat sitting there staring out over the water. "You know, Kelp Head, the sea is more to the north." I stated with a know-it-all smile at him.

Percy barely glanced over his shoulder at me and muttered a rather lame, "oh."

"Oh." was exactly what I repeated back to him with astonishment, before I sat down next to him silently. "Seriously Perce, I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you when the thing with Annabeth..." he quietly cut me off, that seemed to be quite the recurring theme this week for me.

"Thalia, I'm over it. I have Grover, Nico, Mrs. O'Leary, the Stolls, Chiron, my parents." I slugged him hard in the shoulder. "Ugh, I get it already. Even without her, you've still got plenty of friends and support."

He smiled at me finally, his deep green eyes lighting up oddly. "I still have you also." The statement totally sucker punched me in the gut, and it was at this fabulous moment that our dads decided to pay us a visit.

_(Percy's P.O.V.)_

Thalia looked way caught off guard, maybe I said a little too much to her. I wouldn't get a chance to properly find out because the very next moment my father and Zeus were both there behind us.

"Well, isn't this cute brother?" Poseidon asked as he elbowed Zeus in the ribs lightly. "Our kids are already making this far easier on us than I really thought they would." Zeus just rolled his eyes a little, but he cleared his throat a moment after that.

"I am pleased that both of you are conveniently alone at the moment, we need to talk to you both about Perseus' new godhood and responsibility." He glanced over to Poseidon for a second, who gave a reassuring nod before continuing on.

"Thalia, daughter, as his new assignment as a God, Percy needs help. We're asking, no, I'm asking you for a favor and a chance to live again, without the hunt." My jaw was on the ground at the request, and I could imagine that Thalia had her eyes bugged out of her head.

She stammered a little bit and her expression was totally blank. Did someone just dip her into the river Lethe? "Um, sir? Lord Zeus." He gave me an odd look as I struggled for the right words. "Do you think that me and Thalia together is really a good idea?" Oh, bad question.

"A good idea?" The sky rolled violently as thunder pounded around us without hesitation. Without really thinking through, not that I do much anyway, I stepped between Thalia and Zeus. Poseidon smiled and put his hand on the sky lord's shoulder. I glanced nervously between my father and uncle, when a weird feeling struck me.

"Father... you mean to use us as a way to unite demigods and hunters, to keep them all under tabs to prevent anything like what happened with Luke again, aren't you?" The words were strangled and garbled out, choked between resistant tears.

Zeus only got angrier at this and before I really knew what was going on anymore, Artemis and many other Olympians had showed up on the scene. I guess too many Gods in one area does get a little suspicious. I knealt down next to the hunched over form of one of my best friends, and held her shoulders softly. Artemis, among a few others seemed a bit offended at the moment, but luckily not towards me.

"Is it true father? Do you plan on using this age's greatest heroes to do nothing more than control mortality with an iron fist all over again? This is absurd! If I knew you had planned to manipulate them from the start of this, I would never have agreed to it." Athena, Hermes, Apollo and Hestia were there throwing in jumbled complaints. In fact, the only ones I didn't see were Ares, Hera and Hephaestus.

'SILENCE! Enough! All of you!" Zeus roared as his face took a shade of deep crimson red. "I have no intentions of trying to subjugate our children with an iron fist and paranoia. I believe Percy and Thalia both relate better to them than we currently do, or have in quite a while. I also think that both heroes deserve an eternal chance at happiness. Not an immortal hunt, or arranged marriage to a sea nymph!"

I gulped as I looked around at my fellow Olympians, and paled at the thought that I was really one of them. It was Thalia who grasped the concept much better than I did, she reached down to grab my hand lightly. "Percy, we don't have to love each other right now for this to work. You and Grover are the only men that I could ever trust myself around anyway really."

She forced a smile behind her ruined black makeup, and looked sadly up at Artemis. "My lady, is this really something that's okay?" Artemis stood up Thalia and gave her a hug. Not one of those, 'you did well serving me' kind of hugs, but one you give a brother or sister or best friend.

"Thalia Grace, if this is what you really want, then I can't allow you to wear the silver tiara of my lieutenant. I can however make you like an advisor to me, and for the girls still. You will always be welcome within the borders of my camp." Thalia's face lit up with relief and she bowed with a thank you. I noticed that her hand was still clinging to mine, as she turned to adress all of the Olympians here.

"I understand what Luke went through and how neglected he left, and I think because of that I can help keep either side from losing touch with the other. We can't let Kronos to use demigods against us like this again." She looked at me last and silently mouthed me the words she saved, that wouldn't be heard or seen by the others. "I don't need to really love you to do this, but it helps that I do already."

I grinned like a mischevious kid at christmas time, and exhalled a breathed I didn't know I had been holding onto. Apollo laughed and slapped by back lightly, "No hard feelings, right cousin?" His playful uproar grew quite a few hateful stares from his sisters. "Hey hey, you can't blame me for being extra friendly. Somebody has to make up for my stiff sister's lack of it." I tried to supress a laugh, as I could tell Hermes was also. Artemis and Athena both started counting to ten, as Apollo darted off towards the woods like a frightened deer but laughing the whole time.

Zeus and Poseidon just looked at me and Thalia both. "Well, if both of you are certain, I'm sure things will go much better for you both this time around. Besides, you're both immortals now." I gently squeezed Thalia's hand in mine, earning a smile from her as were once again left alone on the edge of the lake. We certainly would have a lot to explain in the time to come, but what could be so hard about a few confusing years at most. I had like forever to enjoy this.

"Hey, Kelp Head!" Thalia smiled evily as he smacked with lightning from her electric spear.

"Ow... what was that for?" I looked at her blankly as she just grinned bigger at me.

"I didn't get to give you a congratulatory zap after you achieved godhood. Now I can zap you into fighting shape until eternity." A look of panic spread over my face as I turned to run from the electric spear monster. Maybe this wasn't going to be the best idea I ever agreed to, but even while running as hard as I could away from the lake, I felt happy and at peace. "Ow... do you have to hit me hard?"

She just smirked as he picked myself up off the ground and took off running again. "Your immortal, you big wimp! Get back here and fight me like a girl!" I laughed and almost tripped as I kept found myself running towards the big house. I think I was going to enjoy being immortal after all, because I definately wasn't alone.


	2. House Arrest

**A/N: I don't own PJatO or any of the characters. Planning on making this a one-shot, thanks to everyone's interests and support I'm going to extend this. At least by a little bit longer. I still have no ownership of PJatO, in fact, I seemed to even have misplace my Demigod Files. Haha.**

(_**Thalia's P.O.V.)**_

It had been a good week since the incident at the camp lake. Ha, I can't believe I just called my engagement and minor godhood an _incident. _At the moment me and Percy were staying up on Olympus to avoid any unwanted attention from campers or hunters alike. We had been staying in Lady Artemis' temple, and to be honest it had been a little weird spending the first night alone with Percy in the same room like that. I mean, we had quested together many times sure, but even with two beds in the guest room Artemis had provided, it felt really awkward. I guess there was still a lot to adjust to, the whole being with a boy forever, kind of thing.

I had so much on my mind, I wasn't really sure where to start or what to think. Aphrodite was busily making wedding arrangements on a daily basis in the mornings, and Artemis would constantly take down the majority of them and her ideas later that night. Father had a private talk with me and Artemis a few days prior, and despite my soon losing maidenhood, he thought it was best to keep me on as her lieutenant for the hunters a while longer. I didn't know what to think of being a hunter and potentially being the only girl there who wasn't entirely committed to the cause.

Percy walked into our room, having just gotten back from the Olympian Council. "Hey Thals, how is everything so far today?"

I tried to not laugh at him. If he got too nervous or overly worried he would get a little odd with his interaction with me. We did still have a lot to adjust to, but I'd be lying if I said it was bad or I wasn't enjoying this so far.

"Nothing special yet, but your later than usual, something up?" I gave him a questioning but concerned look as he tried to smile for me. "Sorta." He mumbled out in reply back. "Oh gods, what is it Percy?" I was starting to seriously get worried, when he sat down on the bed next to me and reached apprehensively for my hand.

"I had a talk with my dad today after the council, and they told me that you're not leaving the hunters. Yet or for a while anyway." He sighed heavily as he said it and his eyes seemed heavier than usual. I quickly gripped the sides of his face and made him focus harder.

"Your not being granted godhood or anything, not while you remain with Artemis and the hunters." His words hit me like a ton of bricks. I had to seriously talk with father about this. "So, you mean that I can still die in battle, don't you?" The words tried to get caught in my throat as I choked them out forcefully. Percy just nodded rather sullenly.

A million thoughts flooded into my head all at once, the most significant being if something were to happen to me in battle. I had no guarantee of survival like Percy did, and yet the Gods still wanted to toy with us and their own idea of a second chance by just as quickly ripping it away. I was highly upset at this predicament, and might have lost my temper had Percy not rested his head against my shoulder. "Thals, I'm so tired. The meetings take a lot out of me, all the bickering and arguments are hard to withstand, and I'm just a minor god. The rest of the day is free, so can we do nothing?"

We both laid back on the bed, not saying anything but just laying there next to each other. Surprisingly we did this quite a lot, even my lady had come in before and laughed at seeing us. She said that it fit Percy to a tee. I can't really explain it a whole lot, but besides our disagreements with each other, we've always been able to just calm each other down by being close. Percy drifted off to sleep first, it wasn't long before I was right behind him.

_**(Annabeth's P.O.V.)**_

The last few days atop Olympus were much odder than usual. I didn't find myself bumping into that many Gods as I worked on my obsessive project. See, my mother Athena, had helped get me my biggest desire possible and now here I was building a lasting monument to the gods. I was redesigning Olympus.

Lately though, everything had seemed to be going extra crazy and I knew I would have a slight break for the weekend, so I decided it would be a good time to check in on everything down at Camp Half-Blood. I honestly did feel a bit guilty about how I had just ditched Percy after he gave up so much for me, but I seriously had no time for boys. Maybe I could still visit the seaweed brain though and we could talk about things like after I finished with Olympus.

It wasn't that I didn't like Percy, I think it was more of me being a litle overly obsessed with my current work. So I contacted Chiron with an Iris Message, and let him know I'd be at camp within a few hours. I collected everything I needed for the weekend's trip and made my way back to camp.

_**(Chiron's P.O.V.)**_

"Annabeth just told me she coming back to camp, for a short visit." I said with apprehension as I turned around to Dionysus at the pinochle table with Grover. "Hm..." was all I got from the God of wine, before he looked up at me with a flash of concern. "I'm not sure I want that annoying Athena girl to interfere with my sister's engagement."

Grover passed a look between the both of us, he was best friends with all three of the people involved and this could easily turn into a rather ugly love triangle. "Do you really think keeping Annabeth from knowing about Percy and Thalia will be such a good idea? Even if she did dump him, I'm not sure she thinks he'll be unavailable for later." Grover gave a nervous bleat or two with his statement.

"That, is exactly why the girl is annoying." Mr. D said coldly. "Thalia and Perry are going to have enough complications with father's plans as it is. Some snotty girl who can't decide what she wants still, won't be doing them any favors." I understood the sentiment, and he was right but it wasn't going to make this any easier.

We settled down and talked lightly over the upcoming subject before Annabeth finally arrived. She looked terrible, like she had been working nonstop for the last few months. "Hello dear, how are things for you?"

She gave an incredulous look at me, and frowned. "Maybe I was too harsh on Percy... the Gods have been extremely busy the last couple of weeks and..." the girl was cut off by Dionysus.

"You did ditch the boy on your own accord, correct?" He asked with a colder tone than usual, she only nodded sheepishly. "Why are you complaining about a decision you willingly made? If it bothers you, perhaps you would have been wise enough to reconsider it before you did it."

I was a little stunned he was giving constructive criticism to her, but his next comment made me think he was upset and just rubbing things in. "Besides, us Gods have been busy because we had a new Sea God recently." The look of shock and terror on her face made her light up like a pinball machine as the realization hit of what he said.

"Oh my gods... Percy accepted godhood?" Her face was extremely pale as Mr. D just nodded at her. He was no longer paying any attention to her now, demanding Grover to continue the pinochle game. Before I could say anything though, Annabeth took off running to the cabins.

_**(Annabeth P.O.V.)**_

I was such an idiot. I got so wrapped up in my work and despite the slight affair I had with Apollo, I had made Percy choose immortality. Unless I was able to achieve the same thing, which I knew was near impossible, he would be lost to me forever now. I burst into the Athena cabin and threw myself down on my bed and just started crying in frustration.

Malcolm and a few of the other kids just looked at me with a bit of shock. He finally asked me what the problem was. "I got overly obsessed with building Olympus and might have lost Percy forever." I said between sobs, but he understood how I was with architecture and just gave me a reassuring pat on the back.

"I doubt it's irreversible, right?" I looked up with questioning eyes at him. "I mean, the two of you have had some pretty major fights and problems before, but it always works itself out. I'm sure this will be no different if you just go find him and explain it all. It'll be okay." I wanted to believe him, but I wasn't exactly sure this time would be okay. Malcolm was right though, I wouldn't give up on this, I would get Percy back. "Thanks.." I said with a sniffle as I drifted off to sleep.

_**(Percy's P.O.V.)**_

I woke up with Thalia curled up next to me on top of our bed, in Artemis' temple on Olympus. I gently shook her awake and smiled as she lazily opened her eyes at me. "Hey pine-cone, we've taken a long enough nap. We should talk with our dads soon, and lady Artemis also."

I got up and went over to pick out from fresher, better looking, clothes to wear. I picked some regular jean pants and a green Billabong shirt. I tossed Thalia a pair of black jeans and a match black shirt. "I'll go find Artemis while you get changed." I told her blushingly, and hurried out of the room.

It wasn't overly hard to find Artemis, or anyone else for that matter. They seemed to be all together in the throne room. "Ah, Perseus, what excellent timing." Hestia smiled at me, gaining a few annoyed glances from some of the other Gods.

"Father, we should consider this idea again, it's unfair to them both." I looked over to Athena to see her pleading about what I guessed was his refusal to have Thalia away from the hunt yet. I stood there just watching and listening to them all arguing about what to do with us, once again, when I felt a hand slip into mine lightly.

"Hey, how is this all going?" She looked worried and tired still but I knew that even if the outcome was bad, she would be next to me for it. She had been every other time something important has taken place. _So has Annabeth. _An annoying voice from the back of my head tried to remind me as well.

"Father.. Lord Zeus.." Thalia started, gaining concerned looks from around the Olympian council. "If you want either of us to really have a second chance, don't separate us please. There is still a lot for either of us to really experience together. It's not fair if you take that away!" Her voice grew dangerously sharper, a hint of anger growing at the edges.

"What do you think of that Artemis?" He gave a suspicious look towards the virgin Goddess of the hunt. "You don't surely mean that?" She seemed a bit upset but nodded silently afterward. "I guess he would still have to interact with my hunters, and I'm worried that if I lose my lieutenant and something goes wrong, that I'll be short one of my closest friends."

If her remarks shocked me any, I did a terrible job of hiding it. My mouth was as open as it could be possibly get and Thalia was trying not to laugh at my expression.

Zeus gave a heavy sigh and looked sternly at us both. "Thalia, you will rejoin the hunt until the day of your marriage. Perseus, you will continue your current duties but are restricted to the big house at the demigods camp. You will stay there until we send for you next."

"Father no..." Thalia tried to interject but he was having no objections from anyway. I hung my head sadly and just replied with a very weak okay. After the council was over, I headed back to my father's temple on Olympus. I was a little amazed to find it wasn't empty when I arrived.

"Perseus, come on in." My father, Poseidon, smiled at me happily and ruffled my hair once I was inside. "I'm sorry about how thing are going to be for a little bit, but it's for the best I'm sure." He said so but he really didn't seem like he exactly believed it himself. "Thanks dad, but I'm really worried if something were to go wrong with her hunt or anything." He placed a hand on my shoulder and nodded sympathetically.

"I mean, even if Thalia was still just a hunter, it would bother me a lot of anything happened to her." There it was again, my fatal flaw rearing it's head again. "It's good you care about your friends and family son." He told me kindly. "You need to figure out what you really want though. You're going to have a long time with somebody, and we need to know your making the right choice in this."

I was shocked and completely at a loss for words. I knew in the back of my mind that this made sense, was I really over everything with Annabeth. I nodded and headed towards the entrance of Olympus.

_**(Thalia's P.O.V.)**_

I couldn't find Percy anywhere after the meeting took place, Artemis hadn't seen him either, but I had a small suspicion of what he was doing. So I settled down to talk with lady Artemis for a bit. "How long do you think Percy will be stuck on house arrest?" I asked with a little joke towards her.

She looked at me sympathetically, and smiled. "I'm sure you might suspect this already, but he has a few important decisions to still make. I won't lose my best huntress just because some man can't make up his mind of what he wants." I small sliver of doubt crept slowly into my head with that.

"You think Percy still might choose Annabeth, don't you?" She didn't answer me, but I knew that I was right. They were worried that this would soon backfire, and this is covering all the bases. It made logical sense, I mean if Percy and I were to go a step further with things now, I would have nowhere to go if we didn't work out.

"Ugh... are relationships really this frustrating!" I mumbled a bit more loudly than I would have wanted in front of my lady. I bowed and apologized and rushed out of the room. I had to find Percy before he went back to Camp. I hoped I wasn't too late and had already missed him. .

Artemis caught me before I could make it too far away. "Thalia, you have until tomorrow to be back with the hunt. You can escort him to camp and spend a little time with him if you need. I trust you."

I nodded and thanked her, rushing off towards the entrance of Olympus as fast as I could. That's when I finally spotted him, he was heading my direction but staring down at his feet stupidly. I stood directly in his path, he would either have to walk into me, or over me. He almost did just that, smacking right into with a thud.

"Ow.. that smarts!" He looked up to see me standing in his path. "Were you just gonna leave me without saying anything, you stupid kelp head?" I tried to give him a menacing glare, but I guess there was too much worry in my face. "Oh, yeah... sorry Thalia. I didn't know if I should actually come find you or anything."

He sounded a little broken, distracted, and about as concerned and uncertain as I had ever heard him. He looked like he was fourteen or fifteen again, struggling with if he could really fight Kronos and Luke. I did the only thing that popped into my head, and I tried to give him a hug. It was uncomfortable and awkward and neither of us were really in the right mind to comfort each other.

"I want to come with you to camp." I told him flatly. "Lady Artemis said I could spend a little time with you today, and I don't want you being all isolated with yourself just yet." I punched him lightly in the shoulder as we headed back down to New York.

_**(Percy's P.O.V.)**_

I felt a little better being able to ride with Thalia back to camp. We took my deep sea green hummer back to camp. She wasn't too excited about the color, but it she did say that it beat walking. Honestly, I missed driving around some, but for this time I just wanted the extra time with her.

"I had a talk with my father." I told her as we drove through New York and Manhattan, back towards Long Island. She raised her eyebrows at the thought. "Oh, about what?" I explained to hear about him informing me of what decisions I would need to make and everything like that to her. She just nodded along mumbling okays on occasion.

"Well.." She said before taking a deep breath. "Lady Artemis said something similar to me. That they are worried I'd be without you or the hunters, if we made a mistake in this." Her face looked pained as the words slipped out. "Oh gods, I totally didn't mean it come out like that Percy..." I smiled at her softly, I knew she didn't.

I kept thinking in my head about how Aphrodite told me that this wouldn't be easy, but I'm not sure this is exactly what she had in mind. There was slight voice faintly in the very corners of my mind telling me the most simplest message ever. _Trust yourself. If it seems hard, breathe and take a second. Just trust yourself._

We finally arrived at camp and headed towards the big house. I was going to head up to the second floor when Chiron and Mr. D both stopped me. "We heard from Hermes about the situation." Chiron started in. "There is a room for you up on the second floor, near mine, at the end of the hall." I nodded and Dionysus cut in. "Don't plan on staying here too long, unless you want to talk over my job as director." He laughed and got serious for once after that. "I expect you to participate in pinochle often with me."

I almost caught myself glaring, but Thalia was trying her hardest to not burst out laughing. She tugged at my hand and dragged me upstairs to my new room. It looked similar to my cabin actually, which put me at some ease. All of my thoughts were abruptly cut off as she grabbed both of my hands to get my attention.

"I can't stay very long, but I'll try to be by and visit you when I can get a chance." The air had it's usual uncomfortable kind of tension, but this kind was different than it had been times before. "Percy, I trust you, so please trust yourself." It was like she was inside my head, I mentally shivered at the thought, but was quickly brought back to reality.

Thalia leaned in and pressed her lips against mine softly. My mind went blank and I just stood there as she kissed me. It wasn't like any kiss that I ever had with Annabeth before, this was uniquely different all it's own. It felt as if she was trying to tell me it would be okay in just one moment. It held all of her frustration, worry, and fear that this one kiss would be the last she might ever have.

Thalia pulled away slowly as she looked into my eyes. I still had failed to react to her yet and as she took a step backwards from me, I softly reached for the sides of the face and pulled her back. I returned her kiss just as softly as she had a moment before. It was the only way to let her know it would be okay. I blushed as she told me she had to go, and we didn't waste any words on anything else. She left to go back to the hunt, and I plopped down on my new bed. I sighed and laid back, stretching out and staring at the ceiling. _Just trust yourself, and trust her. _The voice kept repeating until I drifted off to sleep.


	3. Decisions

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who has kept up with the story so far, and for those who are just getting a look at it for the first time. Also want to personally thank **_**justawriter33**_** and **_**mbfJennifer **_**for their input, help and support in my creative process (and just general randomness). Without further ado, hope this chapter wows you all..**

_**(Thalia's P.O.V.)**_

I had returned to the hunter's camp a couple of hours before my deadline from Lady Artemis, but honestly I didn't want to have to see Percy locked up like some kid on bad behaviour because of me. Even if the truth was that he was being kept on restricted access to anywhere. Artemis had already informed me beforehand that the other hunters knew that I could very possibly be excused from their ranks and oath. It made me sad looking at them all, and I knew behind each of their glances and smiles were many thoughts and questions just itching to get out.

I had settled down rather reluctantly in my tent, avoiding as many of the other girls as I possibly could. I personally wished that I could be back in Olympus right now, in Lady Artemis' temple again. My thoughts were unfortunately interrupted as the Goddess entered with our best tracker, and my second in command, Phoebe. I politely showed my lady her due respect and plopped back onto my makeshift bed.

"Thalia, I wanted to discuss who your successor might be, to cover our bases ahead of time." I nodded in understanding, whether I fully agreed with the situation still or not. It really was all going by so fast, and I secretly worried that I would forget about Percy and my new stirring well of emotions.

"My lady, I take it you mean for Phoebe to take over as your lieutenant, if I were to depart?" I glanced between the two and got a sympathetic nod for my answer. "Yes, but we are also in the process of recruiting other worthy candidates as well." My curiosity might have gotten the better of me as I wondered aloud who that might be. "Other worthy candidates? Phoebe is one of our best."

I looked a little nervous as lady Artemis responded in kind to my unusual line of thinking tonight. "At the moment, there are four specific girls we are trying to recruit, and I would appreciate your opinion on all of them. Your help recruiting them would be even more wanted, since you are still my lieutenant." I forced a smile but it wasn't because I was unhappy with the situation. "I understand, please tell me who they are."

Lady Artemis began with the first two, the two most obvious choices. "Katie Gardner and Annabeth Chase." She looked to Phoebe and then myself, as I thought of my response. "I really don't think Annabeth is an advisable choice anymore, considering..." I let my sentence trail off, not daring to finish the thought we all shared. "Katie on the other hand, she seems to have a growing distaste for boys but I'm uncertain if she's currently skilled enough to be much leadership wise. She would be a good addition I think, she just doesn't cross me as the type to actively pursue battles willingly yet."

I groaned inwardly as I kept my gaze fixed on lady Artemis. "I see then. I thought as much with both girls already, it's good to know you share the same inclinations." She paused for just a moment before asking about the other girls. "The other two are a bit younger but both seem to have the right potential. A girl of Athena named Alexis, and one from my brother who is called Elyssa. Both are just barely older than Bianca was upon her joining."

I looked over at Phoebe finally, for the first time in quite a few minutes. "What do you think of all this?" She gulped and smiled nervously before replying. "It's true that you would be allowed to help out some with the hunt still, correct?" Oh my gods, I had nearly forgotten what father had said at the lake during all the recent commotion. I smiled brightly and looked at lady Artemis for assurance. "I do believe so, yes." I answered a bit cheerfully.

"Lady Artemis, I personally believe that Phoebe should be next in line for your lieutenant. I will still be around either way for an advisory role, and would gladly lend my assistance with battles." We all three looked satisfied and pleased with this discussion and outcome. Artemis spoke softly before leaving the tent with Phoebe. "Thalia, tomorrow we try and gain a few new recruits for the hunt, just in case." I nodded, watching them both leave as I laid down to finally sleep.

_**(Annabeth's P.O.V.)**_

I heard from the Stoll brothers that Percy had been summoned to camp, and was in the big house. I knew that now was the perfect chance for me to talk to him and hopefully sort out our whole misunderstanding. I was confident that as a child of Athena, there wasn't anything I couldn't make him see or talk through to him about. It was early in the morning and I knew breakfast wouldn't be for a little while longer. I had no activities until much later in the afternoon, so now was the perfect time for this.

It only took me a few moments to reach the big house, and Chiron hesitantly told me which room was now Percy's. He didn't go into any further detail than that, something seemed a little odd about the whole situation but I knew it shouldn't be hard for that seaweed brain to spill it all to me. I smiled deviously as I knocked on the bedroom door.

"C'mon in.." Came the familiar call from inside the room. "Hey there, Percy." I tried to say as politely as possible as I entered his room. It looked an awful lot like the Poseidon cabin he had stayed in for so many years, it unnerved me a little bit but at the same time made me happy to see that he hadn't really changed any. "I was uh, hoping we could talk some." He gave me a suspicious stare and I had no choice but to admit a little bit to him. "I know that I wasn't exactly fair to you, while I was working on restoring Olympus." I swear I heard him slightly snort at the comment, I just shrugged it off and kept going.

"Percy, listen please. I'm sorry that I got too caught up in my work and everything and ended up forgetting about you some. We've had some rough patches before, but it always works out between us and you mean the world to me." I could see the wheels inside his saltwater head turning slowly as he thought about it all. "I'm not really going anywhere for a while, so do you mind if I think about it?"

_Ha, that idiot think about it? This is so in the bag. _I smiled smugly at him, thinking how much easier this had been that I thought it would. "Of course, Percy. I'll be back by tomorrow to see you. I look forward to the good news." I confidently left his room feeling happy as I headed out to the pavilion for breakfast.

_(__**Percy's P.O.V.)**_

_What? Perseus, you can't seriously be thinking of letting that girl be with you again! Have you completely lost your mind? _The voice in my head crooned loudly as Annabeth left the room. "What do you mean? She's been one of my best friends for years and I really loved her a lot." I answered to myself, unsure completely why I was talking out loud. I had been having these conversations more and more frequently since becoming a God.

_Tsk, tsk, tsk. She might have cared seriously about you once, but think about what she told you just now. She failed to bring up the fact she cheated on you. She made it all sound like it was such a simple mistake and there was never really any harm done. _The voice grew more persistent and I was starting to worry I was seriously losing my mind. I took a heavy sigh as I swallowed hard on my former emotions and terribly mixed feelings. "I can't believe she would be so underhanded towards me... this is like before the battle with Kronos. So does she seem me as convenient or something?"

I worried about what the answer would be, but I didn't hear anything in return. I silently sat there on my bed for what seemed like hours on end, but no helpful voice or extra thoughts pushed me in the direction to go. I sighed heavily as I much have spent a couple more hours thinking about everything. I could see from out the window that the sun would be setting before long, and I hadn't really come to a definite decision for anything. I was really starting to doubt myself and lose hope on ever being happy or sane.

"Perseus, I will always hold onto your hope, even when it seems the hardest. Have you already forgotten that?" I cast my eyes up from the floor to see Hestia smiling at me softly. "You trusted me with your hope once before, and I won't ever let you lose sight of it." It immediately hit me that it had been her voice inside of my head all this time, reminding me of the truth.

"Lady Hestia..." my tongue started to fail itself as I fought for to form the words in my mouth. "I don't know what to do. I thought I had dealt with my issues and Annabeth, but I feel like accepting godhood was just a way to run away from the problem." I tried to not look at pathetic as I felt, but I smiled at her anyway. I mean, it was nearly impossible to not feel at home and peaceful around her, even if everything inside my head was so jumbled.

"Are you really that scared of what the truth might be? I think perhaps you're just worried that Thalia will do the same as Annabeth. Percy, trust her and yourself. Tell her how you really feel inside and if she can accept that from you, then you will have found something that Annabeth never truly offered." I nodded as I carefully listened and thought of what she said, it was so comforting and seemed to be exactly what I needed to hear, even if I had already heard it countless times already.

"Remember, despite everything you've had to face so far, you have yet to give up hope. Even when it was all you had left. You trusted me before with your hope, I will not let you ever lose it." My face brightened and I smiled a little bigger at the young looking Goddess in front of me. "When you find it hard trusting in yourself, trust in me and the other people who you know won't let you down. Your hope is always kept in your heart. Use it."

Just as simple as that she was gone and everything seemed a lot clearer than it had been for quite a while. I knew that good or bad, I wouldn't give up on what I felt right now. I had to find a way to let that special someone know that I chose her, now I just had to figure out how. The idea struck me like a tidal wave that had come crashing down on an unsuspecting island. I quickly thanked my father and aunt, and began to set my plan into motion.

I knew that Chiron and Dionysus would be getting back from dinner soon, so I proceeded downstairs to meet them when they got back with what I considered to be an excellent proposal. It didn't really take that long for them to get back and both seemed slightly surprised to see me awaiting them with a very big and ridiculous grin on my face.

"Dionysus, Chiron.. I had a crazy idea while I was up considering things today." Both gave each other wary glances before I continued. "I would like to take over as the Director of Camp Half-Blood, in your place, cousin. With a small condition." Mr. D's face seemed to get an excited expression as he motioned me to continue. "You have my utmost attention now, Percy."

"I would like to speak with father, Lord Zeus, and the rest of the council about my intentions. First though, I would like to see Artemis, Thalia and Annabeth." Chiron looked at me like I was insane, asking for all three to be in the room with me while I made what was most undoubtedly my choice. Dionysus just nodded gleefully and proceeded to grant my first request and carry out the second.

"Percy, are you sure about what your doing?" I smiled and hugged my centaur mentor. "More than anything, and will you please get Annabeth for me?" He still looked a little worried as he galloped away in the fresh moonlight. I went to the meeting room inside of the big house, knowing it would be just moments before my eternal life took a more permanent turn.

_**(Dionysus's P.O.V.)**_

I wasn't going to waste any time on this idea. Even if he had been a frequently annoying younger cousin a good deal of the time and besides helping protect my son Castor in the battle for Olympus before, he was offering me a loophole out of this accursed job of watching snot faced brats train and whine all day.

I informed my sisters first, Artemis and Thalia, before heading to Mount Olympus and tracking down the Gods and Goddesses. It took me a little while but I successfully told them all of how Percy was ready to choose now and that he was requesting a full council to make his intentions known. They were going to give him exactly an hour before it would be held.

Artemis was arriving with Thalia when I returned back from Olympus. "Percy, you have exactly one hour before the council meets. Best of luck to you." I had no plans on listening to whatever his personal request for my sisters were, I would hear it all soon enough I was sure.

_**(Percy's P.O.V.)**_

Dionysus delivered the news swiftly and returned with just as much speed. I could have swore I had given the message to Hermes, had I known better. Artemis and Thalia had already arrived and Chiron had been informed to allow Annabeth in after we finished talking. I looked at both of the hunter, the Lady and her officer and smiled politely, trying not to appear too enthused yet.

"Artemis, thank you for coming on such short notice. I apologize in advance that this might alter the structure and look for your hunters a little bit." I caught notice of Thalia flexing her hands nervously as Artemis watched me carefully.

"Thalia... the truth is that I've been worried that things between us would up like how they were with myself and Annabeth. I hated the idea that I could ruin your immortality and take away your lieutenant." I said making a small gesture to Artemis. "I lost sight of what mattered, of the people that I trusted and because of that, the trust in myself. I just wanted you to know that, and that I'm sorry for not believing in us or our friendship. I know deep down that you're meant to be my second chance at this, and I hope that I'm yours."

I bit my lip uncomfortably and hard, a small bit of inchor running into my mouth. It tasted oddly metallic and funny as I looked between the two and awaited some kind of response. "Really, Percy?" Thalia gave me a questioning look as I could feel my heart leap into my throat. I barely was able to nod back to her, but gathered up the courage to finish my thought.

"I want to go beyond just helping bridge the Gods with the heroes, mortals and hunters. I want to take over as the Camp Director, and help train and properly watch over them all and help guide them correctly. Thalia can stay here with me and come and go with the hunters both, if she would have me, and if you would allow it lady Artemis."

Thalia's face seemed to be a growing shade of red, her cheeks looked like they were flushing as she nervously looked at Artemis. "I approve, provided that our father does so as well once again. I see that you have indeed overcome your indecision and that pleases me, knowing so I could accept handing over Thalia for you." Thalia immediately hugged me, her face was still burning red as she gave a fast kiss on the lips. "That's a yes a by the way, kelp head." She said with a smile that made me momentarily forget about everything else until Artemis cleared her throat.

"We aren't out of the woods yet, you two. Try to keep down the affection to a minimum until it's really official." We both tried not to laugh, as Dionysus came back in the room. "Time's almost up, you got a few moments to tell the news to blondie."

I exhaled and took a long deep breath as I reached for Thalia's hand while Chiron let himself and Annabeth in finally. "Well, seaweed brains?" She huffed at me, obviously annoyed that she had been kept waiting. It took her a moment to notice Thalia holding my hand and Artemis beside us with a content but resigned kind of expression on her face.

"I guess this means that you don't want to be with me again?" She gave a questioning look at me, but Dionysus replied before I could. "Well, duh. Did you expect him to congratulate you with a hug, kiss and a lollipop?" Thalia and Artemis both snickered lightly as I kept my attention focused. Annabeth looked completely taken back by the moment, her confidence crumbling before us.

"Annabeth, you will still be one of my dear friends, but you did a lot more than just momentarily forget about me. That's all unimportant though, because there is so much more I can do as a God now, and you showed me all of that. I really hope that you understand." I smiled warmly at her, I wanted her to know that I still would consider her an important friend because she was.

"Ugh... you're going to chose a hunter over me? Do you think that's really fair to Thalia or Artemis any? Why don't you just go pick a mortal like Rachel? Your such a stupid jerk..."

Dionysus cut her off at those words, his eyes glowing with a menacing purple flame. "Girl, despite your past with Perseus, that is no way to speak to any Olympian God. I don't care if you feel upset, hurt or anything for that matter. There are proper ways to address Gods and Goddesses, and you need to be doing so immediately, for your best interest!" Chiron quietly placed a hand on Annabeth's shoulder, ushering her outside of the big house as Dionysus looked at the three of us.

"I've been dying to do that for a while now, that girl can really get on my nerves. Well, shall we be going?" All four of us burst out laughing as we took Thalia with us to Olympus. The council was just getting ready to start when we arrived. I steadied myself and roughly recounted my ideas the camp and demigods to Zeus and the others. Without much surprise really, Dionysus was the one who suggested we put it to our customary vote. I was enthused to find that nobody was objecting, my idea was going to be put into effect very soon.

As soon as everything had been decided officially, Aphrodite shouted a bit louder than she really needed to. "Finally, we can throw a wedding worthy of, well, us." I squeezed the hand of the black haired punk girl beside me, and found it being squeezed back just a tightly. Zeus proudly looked at my father, Poseidon, and then at me and Thalia. "Well, let's get the wedding preparations underway. Until the ceremony takes place, Thalia will keep her Hunters immortality, and then the two of you will be moved into the big house." The throne room burst out with cheers and excitement, my curiosity wondering what it must have sounded like down below at camp and everywhere else.

**A/N: Next Chapter will be the big important wedding for the Gods! Don't miss your reservation to this grand, exquisite event. RSVP (Read and Review!) Thanks everyone!**


	4. Twins of Hestia

**A/N:** **Thanks for all the continued support, and hope this chapter goes over well. Enjoy the surprise.**

_(__**Percy's P.O.V.)**_

It had been almost another week since the grandest wedding celebration this millennium had been announced and the planning started for. Thalia and myself had been staying between my father, Poseidon's temple palace and her lady, Artemis's. We had promised lord Zeus to refrain from any teenage behavior in our relationship, even if we were both technically immortal, and had kept everything to just light kissing really. I was perfectly fine with taking our slow approach, besides we wouldn't be limited after the wedding ceremony.

Speaking of the ceremony, it was due to be held tomorrow at midday. I would say that I felt nervous and jittery, but something else felt really wrong. I wasn't sure what it was exactly but I just knew that something was very out of place. Little did I know that it was my godly powers trying to warn me of heroes in danger.

The morning council started out rather dull, until Apollo pulled out a New York times paper from his throne and smiled arrogantly as he started to read the headline. "Daughter of former Hollywood starlet announces engagement to successful author's son."

My face paled visibly as Apollo read the mist influenced article about how Thalia and myself were planning on marrying soon. I know he would have gone into much greater detail on the subject, that suspiciously made me think that perhaps he might have helped leak the story, but a young boy who appeared about my age burst into the throne room violently.

"What is the meaning of this?" Zeus boomed at the short, spiky black haired youth. The young man had burning golden eyes and he had a light brown glow to his skin. I would have guessed that he was from the pacific, Hawaiian to be more precise. He bowed immediately and his face looked terribly saddened. Zeus suddenly carried a worried expression as he tone no longer held any malice or anger, but kindness towards the youth.

"Chang, where is your brother? Do you not go everywhere together?" The question made me curious as to what it was implying. For the moment I was resigned to pay close attention, I had a dire feeling that this Chang was somehow related to me and I wasn't meaning by Olympian parentage.

Before I could completely place together what was transpiring in front of us all, Hestia interrupted the meeting next. "My son, why have you appeared without Tajima?" Zeus surprisingly let Chang answer the question. I wasn't honestly sure what was going on anymore though, I thought that lady Hestia was one of the virgin Goddesses. Chang didn't waste time in answering though.

"My lords and ladies... my brother is trapped in the middle of a war, and sent me to come and beg for assistance immediately." Tears were jerking at the raven haired youth's eyes, but he wasn't giving them room to budge in the slightest. "I bring the most disheartening news from the Knights camp." He finished his statement with a bowed head, which led to Hestia consoling him in the midst of our council. Nobody seemed to object to anything currently going on either.

Athena stood up and expressed her opinion through a pained expression. "Lord Zeus, we must quickly investigate why someone, or something is engaged in war with the _Dioscuri_." Her face was sad but enraged, and the realization hit me. In ancient Greek times, Castor and Pollux were the twin sons of Zeus, and were often called the Dioscuri. Was it possible that a more current set of twins shared that honor now?

"Perseus..." Hearing lord Zeus address me, snapped me back into the present and out of my thoughts. "Take Chang back to camp and find out as much possible with Chiron's help. Hermes will await for your message when you've gathered all of the information." That put a quick and sudden end to the previously dull councils of the last half week.

I made my way with the present half of the twin set, along with lady Hestia back to camp. She kindly explained to me that while the twins are born of Zeus, they are hatched as golden eggs and get to choose their other Olympian parent. I was surprisingly shocked to find out that since Castor and Pollux, a set of Dioscuri twins were born almost every century. Chang and his brother, who I learned to be Tajima Kou, were the fourth set of Dioscuri to be born.

Chang smiled lightly at me, but he still seemed to be in a great deal of distress. "My brother was the one who picked lady Hestia as our parent, and we are the first set of twins to become immortal before death." The news slightly caught me off guard before Hestia explained more.

"You have heard of the Knights of the Dawn, correct? My sons are the immortal lieutenants of the Knights and have been for the last two hundred or so years." I looked at the seventeen year old with black hair and golden eyes. "Wait, you were born in the 18th century?" He gave a light laugh and smiled softly towards me. "I guess you could say we are the opposite of Artemis's hunters. We do keep some archers and ranged fighters, but our strength lies in close combat and shear number."

We had reached Camp Half-Blood finally and headed into the Big House with must haste. Chiron's eyes almost bulged out of his head as he saw Chang. "Di immortales... a Dioscuri alone." He stated, stunned, before quickly recovering himself. Before we could start any sort of private meeting with just the four of us, lady Artemis and Thalia showed up and allowed themselves audience.

"I guess this will have to keep me from explaining something I might not understand later." I said with a small laugh as I looked at Artemis and my fiance, Thalia. There was gonna be a lot to explain to her soon enough, but for now we had to get some answers.

_**(Third Person P.O.V.)**_

The meeting inside of the Big House began with an eerie silence amongst the participants. "Like I said to the Olympian council earlier, my twin brother is under siege with the majority of our knights." Chang hesitated for a long moment as he gathered some impatient stares. "Tajima is engaged in battle with Hector of Troy."

Artemis nearly fainted at the mention of the centuries old Trojan warrior and the popular war story. Thalia gave a questioning look towards the boy, asking simply. "Are you sure you're not overly stressed or anything? The Hector of Troy? The one that Achilles killed eons ago?" He nodded back in reply solemnly to her. "Yes, Hector of Troy and the bulk of the Trojan army as well."

Nobody seemed really sure how or what to make of this, but this morning had been one whirlwind of information and Chiron presented the next question thoughtfully. "So, do you have any idea how the Trojan army is coming back from the underworld after all this time?" Chang nodded and Percy grew a grave expression at the same time as well.

"For the past few years, a city has been slowly built and just recently it was completed. We had been under orders to keep and eye on it and observe it. For the longest time nothing strange was going on in or around it, and it still houses no monsters. What tipped our suspicions was when it started housing and transporting demigods and small groups of armies, just a while before the battle of Olympus." The room grew even more silent, allowing Chang to continue his explanation freely.

"While the Titan Lord might be defeated, he set this plan into motion long before his return or demise. I'm not sure exactly all of the details how, but for last few months the real Trojan army has been on patrol and giving us small border skirmishes. Nothing was very full scale until this last month." Chiron rubbed his whiskered chin as he looked at Percy thoughtfully. The tension in the air was very heavy and thick, as Hermes arrived with a message.

"Lord Zeus wants you to gather the demigods and hunters, Percy. I'll report back any information you need to send, but he says to prepare for war. Unfortunately, you're all going solo on this. Due to certain old promises, none of us can interfere or help. We all swore that we would never temper with another Trojan war type of event. This is all going to be determined by this age's heroes and it's appointed protectors." Percy sighed and nodded in understanding. It wasn't really too much of a shock to figure that the Olympians weren't going to be giving any direct assistance or anything. Another ten year war would prove utterly disastrous.

"Lord Perseus.. with the hunters and demigods combined, our total strength might be close to 1,300 in number. I know firsthand that the Trojans have a good 20,000 right now. We would be hard pressed to win currently, let alone try to come out alive. They still have their old alliances too, I'm guessing. So we must consider them to have an estimation of close to 35,000 men." The news was indeed difficult but bearable. Hermes took all the current and latter information back to Olympus as the new Camp Director racked his brain for an idea or any kind of strategy.

_**(Percy's P.O.V.)**_

This was all very overwhelming. My first week on the job and I have a potentially global disaster on my hands, and it's in the form of a creepy undead army. I nervously glanced at Thalia, who didn't take long to notice how uncomfortable I was all morning. She had been reassuringly hold my hand as we both listened to the terrifying news. An idea struck me quick as lightning, as I smiled at the beautiful girl next to me.

"I can ask my dad to send us help from my brother, Tyson and some of the Olympian army. Maybe some giants or cyclopes, and some skeletons to make up a small difference in the numbers." Chang seemed to brighten up a little by this line of thinking and I knew it might be a long shot, but we were definitely on to something now.

"Perhaps we should send word out tonight, and in the morning start to gather up all the forces we possibly can." Thalia said as her and Artemis shared a look together. The Goddess of the hunt excused herself, leaving just the five of us now. "How long do you think your brother can hold out for?" The words nervously escaped my lips as I looked from Chang to Hestia.

"Well, truthfully, he is a much more skilled fighter than I am. I believe he is every match for Hector, but we still lack the Trojans manpower. They seemed content for the moment to at least wait inside of their fortress right now. That is all that is buying us any real time." There was still one more detail I needed to know before we had all the information I could think was available.

"Where exactly is the current city of Troy?" Chang laughed at the question, but his features were serious as he did so. "Montana..." came the reply I was least expecting. "So basically, we have to travel across the country with a full army, and have no chance that our enemy won't expect us." I puffed out my cheeks indignantly as I scrunched up my nose in frustration. Chiron gave a glimpse of a better traveling idea though.

"There is a river near that city isn't there? The location closely resembled ancient Troy, if I'm not mistaken." Go figure a Centaur would know geography to a tee. Chang gave an enlightened nod, and Thalia added her brilliant idea. "If Tyson and Percy could use the rivers to travel our small armies by ship, like the ancient Greeks did back then, we could use that to our advantage." There was history, popping it's repetitive head back into things.

"So... Troy, Montana is our destination, and we need to arrive before the week is out also..." Hestia sympathetically gave her son a hug and thanked the rest of us. "I'll deliver the rest of the information up top, and let you know about the extra armies." She winked and was gone just as fast. Chiron went to go supervise dinner for the demigods, which left myself with Thalia and Chang. I still had a few more questions to ask him, but these were more personal.

"So is there anything you can tell me about the Knights of the Dawn?" He gave a warming smile as he explained in detail about the similarities they shared with the Hunters, and how they also varied a good deal as well. I wasn't overly surprised to find it was an all male group, and that they didn't rely very much on archery or ranged combat. It seemed to be the exact opposite of what the Hunter of Artemis were. Even to the extent that while the Hunters kept a smallish type of group in numbers for hunting and tracking, the Knights had over a thousand soldiers and were more of an army and battle unit.

It eventually grew late and I showed Chang were he could stay for the time being at camp. He politely informed me that his men with him were all staying in the Hestia cabin, but he thanked me for the temporary room in the Big House. We parted ways for the night, and when I had Thalia to myself finally in our room, I broke the unfortunate news that I had been holding onto since that morning. "Our wedding has been postponed until this whole situation is determined, one way or the other."

She gave me a small hug and light kiss on the lips, telling me that it would work out and be okay. Just another momentary setback, we would have a whole eternity to be together. I didn't want to let her go tonight, things were constantly flying out of control lately. I gave one last kiss for the night as she headed back to the Hunters. I knew she would be back in the morning with all of her ranks, and we would began to organize our plans and ranks once we had our armies gathered. I could only wish the best for the stranded Dioscuri. "Please hold out just a bit longer, Tajima. We'll be there as soon as we possibly can."

**A/N:** **It's a bit shorter than the others so far, but I really hope everyone likes where this went. The next chapter kicks off the start of the new Trojan war, and the meeting of the other Dioscuri! Don't forget to enlist to fight the Trojans! War is coming.. and so is a wedding (Zeus willing!)**


	5. The Prophecy

**A/N: Just wanted to thank everyone for their continued love and support and just to say how much I love my beta's! I also love the Oracle of Delphi.. just sayin lol **

**Disclaimer: I've completely lost my mind and I own Peter Johnson and the Ophiotaurus, haha..**

**(Chang's P.O.V.)**

The next morning came quicker than I could have imagined, and I was glad to see the sun peak over the camp woods extra early. It didn't really take me very long to get dressed and get all of my gear in order and have myself mentally situated for the day ahead. As I stepped out of my room and started to head towards the dining pavilion for breakfast, I saw a sleepy eyed girl with black hair standing across the hall in what I assumed must be Percy's room. Right before I was about to offer a good morning to her, I noticed that she was half dressed and obviously not awake yet.

"Thalia! Close the stupid door and get back in here.. there are guests in the house!" My face was flushed deep red as the huntress saw me and almost screamed in horror. The door shut and I ran out of the house in a hurry, hoping to avoid either my step-sister's wrath or that of her fiance. Chiron stopped me in the grass just outside the Big House.

"Chang, off to meet up with your Knights before breakfast?" I nodded as a thought came to me. "Yes sir, and please apologize to the lady in the house for me. I don't think she's quite used to having male company stay in the same area overnight." Chiron gave a small chuckle, something in his eyes told me that he had seen her in a similar state at this hour. "I will be sure to give your apologies, and don't worry about it really. Being a Hunter can sometimes make the girls forget to do normal things around camp." I left the thought at that and went down towards the Hestia cabin, where the few Knights I had taken with me were.

I finally reached the cabin door, apparently nobody was up at this early hour. This was always how it was around our camps as well, half of our group woke up early and the other half was dead at this hour. Tajima was the kind to wake up much later than he would ever need too, but I was the early riser. As I reached for the door, it opened and out stepped my Knights. I had made sure to carefully select my early risers, the more we got out of the day the better.

Our Knights are broken into four main types. The ranged, heavy, technical and elite. My brother insisted that I only travel with three, taking an officer from each unit. So I was greeted this morning by a Heavy Knight named Andrew Biha, a Technical Knight named Darien Cade, and a Ranged Knight named Christian Whitney.

"Yo boss! We off to dinner yet?" I mentally face palmed at the greeting and question. Andrew looked at me curiously with a response to his question before Christian poked him in the side. "You dolt, it's breakfast time, not dinner..." I laughed along with the others as we walked through the camp talking lightly. Andrew was rather rare for a demigod, seeing as he was the son of Hercules. You could say that this made him stand out. The golden blond hair wasn't enough, he was built like a giant. Tajima had insisted that I personally take him, even though it would seriously reduce the strength of his army against the Trojans.

Andrew stood a good foot taller than most of us, he wasn't quite seven feet but he sure seemed to push that fact. We got a lot of stares as the breakfast bell rang around camp. I guess it would be odd to see four strange boys walking around in solid black battle armor. Not many campers had ever encountered us yet, except for a select few from either minor gods or healers like from Apollo. One of the big reasons we had been absent from camp for so many years, is that we guarded the claimed minor Gods kids. At least we used to, before they had cabins added to Camp Half-Blood.

Right before I could sit down to eat a slightly younger, girl ran up to me excitedly. That expression quickly died as I recognized her face. She had dirty blond hair and sparkling blue eyes, that suddenly looked panic as she spoke to me.

"Chang... where's Taj?" I didn't want to answer her. We had met Adara a couple of years ago and would have escorted her to camp then, but Lord Apollo requested she stay with us until the war ended. It was obvious to see why she was one of his favorites, especially after he lost so many in the last battle with the Titans. Unfortunately for her, Adara had fallen into quite a love spell for my twin brother. I wish to say he was immune to Aphrodite's meddling, but they've been a couple for quite some time. No also, unlike the Hunters, we aren't banned from loving or anything.

I faltered in my response to her. "He's... not here..." Such a pathetic reply earned myself a hateful looking glare. "Wait.. why are their only a few of you? Oh no... what's happened to my Tajie?" I winced at the nickname, and saw the other Knights hold back a laugh. We would all be in Hades if he heard her asking that out loud.

"Tajima is in battle with the Trojans..." Cade half whispered to her softly, Adara looked like she wanted to cry and kill somebody at the same time. Before she could form a reply a short girl with long, flowing black hair skipped up to the Knights. "Chang, I didn't know you guys were gonna be showing up? You should have im'ed me." The chipper girl earned a death glance from Adara. "Ha... isn't this just peachy! Your boyfriend shows up just fine, Cassidy, but mine is locked in mortal battle who knows where... ugh!"

Adara stomped away frustrated as I had to explain everything again to the daughter of Hecate. Adara and Cassidy never had seemed to really get along that well, and the current situation only seemed to make Adara hate my girlfriend even more. "Let's go eat please... before any more arguments or fights try to break out." I tried to smile as we got to eat at last.

**(Thalia's P.O.V.)**

The Hunters and myself had arrived in the middle of the night and while they headed off to lady Artemis's cabin, I went to see my adorable boy. Lady Artemis had wanted us to get an early start on all the planning and everything as soon as could be, and due to all of the relationship headaches the last month, we had been camping close to the New York area. I was rather happy to get to spent a few hours with Percy before all hell broke loose in another war. While we honored our promises to Zeus, that didn't mean I couldn't sleep in the same room with him.

He hadn't been sleeping very well the last few nights to be honest, and that meant I slept even worse. I was standing in the door of his room at the Big House, not noticing the door just down the hall opening and the Knight coming out of it. I was really oblivious to how I usually woke up, or what I wore to bed. Staying with nothing but immortal teen girls can do that to you. Percy had woken up, I'm guessing when he noticed I wasn't next to him. What a baby. So there I was just standing in the door frame, wearing a pair of his boxers and a way too small shirt. "Thalia! Close the stupid door and get back in here.. there are guests in the house!"

I snapped awake really fast to see the boy, Chang, rush out of the Big House with a beet red face. I closed the door and pressed my back against it as I tried to catch my breath and not freak out. Percy looked terrible, but that didn't keep him from getting out of bed and pinning me against the door playfully. "Just because the Knights don't have to abstain from love, doesn't mean you can go around flashing their commanders." He smiled at me as he leaned in for a morning kiss. I quickly dodged out of the way, letting his face smack the wood with a thud.

I almost fell onto the floor laughing as I tried to put on an innocent smile for him. "You know it wasn't intentional, and since when did you like to kiss the door so early in the morning? Maybe I should go warn Grover you have a thing for trees." He caught onto my joke quicker than I had, and used it to retort back. "I did fall in love with you after all, but maybe your right. Juniper wouldn't nearly be as life threatening to be with."

Neither of us were properly dressed as I chased him out of the room and down the stairs. He almost tripped over Chiron who threw up his hands in surrender as Percy rushed to the porch of the Big House. "Get back Perseus, or I'll make you really wish that you were dating a tree!" Before I could cross outside after the half naked hero, who happened to be wearing only his boxers, Dionysus caught me by the arm.

"Sister, as glad I am to see the two of you horsing around, you really should think about going outside in that." For the second time this morning I had to physically gulp and force myself to breath slowly. This wasn't Artemis's temple on Olympus or the Hunters camp. "Sorry bro, it's still weird for me, having to worry about what I wear in the mornings and who might see. I'll try to work on being more alert of these things." He flippantly waved his hand, ushering me back upstairs. "Thalia, at least stay dressed in public until after your married." We all snickered at his joke as Percy came back in after me.

Dionysus turned to Percy with a stern look. "And you... stop making me sister chase you around the house practically naked. You damn kids in love, and your lack of common sense." Percy just smiled and headed back upstairs to change also. "I think you're so going to have your hands full." Dionysus said with a smirk to Chiron. I was going to get some proper rest before the big meeting today at noon, and I was forcing Percy to get some as well. I would tie him up if I needed too.

**(Percy's P.O.V.)**

Thalia woke up softly, letting me know that it was about time to get our forces and plans together. I was nervous about this for many reasons. One of the main ones being that Annabeth would be participating in this. The Knights would be participating in this meeting, as would the Hunters and Nico, who had been granted Godhood like I had. We had been told that Tyson would also be leading a small contingent of giants and some cyclopes with him, and my father told me that at the best he could spare us about 500 of them. I went through the numbers in my head and knew that we would need Nico's skeletons to really have much chance.

Introductions were made at the beginning of the meeting and we wasted no time getting into the plans for our formations and strategy. The second Titan's war had been a strategic mess, and really was formed on the fly and very last minute. I knew that the Trojan army would be much more experienced and going into this with half a strategy would get us all killed. I began by asking Chang what his thoughts were for strategies.

"I think you should divide up the cabins into what they specialize at best." I glanced Chiron who looked at myself and Mr. D. Nobody had seemed to have an opposing argument before Annabeth spoke up. "Divide up the cabins? By what, who gets along best... That's a ridiculous plan. If we're really going up against the Trojan army, then we need can't be splitting up the already small amount of forces we have."

Nico cut into the discussion when she finished. "Actually, with my skeletons and the Centaurs and whatever Tyson can bring along we would have quite enough to break off into smaller groups." He smiled across the table at me, but it wasn't a good enough reason for Annabeth. "We have no automatons or any real outside help. If we split into smaller groups, we'll be crushed like bugs." She had placed her hands on the table firmly to accent her point, Chang was obviously growing slightly annoyed at her now.

"So, you think that the Hunters of Artemis or Knights of the Dawn are worthless groups? I've seen the armies of Troy first hand little girl, and the kind of formations and waves they attack in would encircle a bulk type of formation that you cling to." I thought he would stop there, but his point hadn't been made yet it seemed. "My brother is trying to hold them off with under 1,000 men. If he were to make a tactical error like not dividing up his forces, we would arrive to find him dead! These aren't brainless monsters, these are some of the best military minds from ancient Greek times."

He took a deep breath and rested back into his seat, but Annabeth wasn't defeated yet though. "So you plan on splitting us up based on what we are right? That means that us campers will get slaughtered, since we have the least numbers and fighting experience." I looked nervously at Thalia, getting her nod of approval before I cut back into the argument. "If we add Nico's skeleton army directly to the campers, it would give them the largest force. The Knights can operate independently, I presume.. and the Satyr's, Centaurs and Tyson's force will form the other group."

Everyone seemed to agree with this division, almost everybody that is. "So do Thalia and the Hunters just stay back and watch? Or are they too precious now for you to try to risk them in combat, Gods forbid that anything happens to them." Annabeth spouted in frustration. Thalia almost jumped out of her chair quick as lightning. I placed a hand on her shoulder before she could make an outburst and I detailed the basic plan that was in my head to the others.

"I believe that in light of the situation, we will go with these formations. Nico will have command for the campers group, Thalia, Chang and Tajima will have the Hunters and Knights, and Chiron and Tyson will lead the others. We can get a more detailed strategy once we can confer with the Knights and Tajima, but for now we should prepare as Chang thinks best." Annabeth sighed dejectedly as Chang told how our forces should look and prepare.

"We essentially need three types of units for each group. A front line fighting unit, that we Knights call our heavies. A fast moving, and precision based group, we refer to as technicals. Lastly, we need our healers and archers, and any sort of magic inclined fighters, who will be our ranged group." I noticed something missing from his formations and brought it up to him with a smile. "I think in light of the Centaurs, we should use them as our cavalry." He seemed to have forgotten about them initally as his face lit up at the comment, this made Annabeth roll her eyes at his oversight.

"Each group will be required to maintain an appointed officer within the command tent at all times. I believe Tyson, Chiron and Grover represent their group well enough, which leaves our other two. I think you and Tajima should switch out back and forth, along with a third officer." I told Chang before continuing along. "As for Nico's group, I need people with some knowledge of the Knights. I would prefer if you use Travis Stoll and a camper of Apollo, Adara Markas. If you need a third, Clarisse would be my ideal choice." Clarisse grumbled a simple whatever, but I knew she would rather be on the front lines any day than talking strategy in a cramped tent.

"What about any kids from Athena?" It took me a moment to realize who was asking, Katie Gardner. "Until further notice, no." I glanced at Annabeth sternly as I said this. "The only people that should be in the command tent will be the immortals we have, and those specially appointed. I would rather avoid any unnecessary complications by campers or others with mixed emotions or a limited information source."

Dionysus stood up from the back of the room, and clapped his hands loudly a few times. "Don't think this is Perseus's decision alone, due to the Gods having no way to assist in this upcoming battle, we decided previously that information could be passed back and forth without interfering. This is only possible though, if the command is limited to just immortals." Everyone nodded in understanding as the meeting was dismissed. Annabeth purposefully stayed back to catch my ear about somethings that I'm sure didn't sit well with her. Thalia caught notice of this and waited with me. When she seemed to notice that Thalia wasn't planning on leaving, she resigned herself to approach us.

"I dislike this plan entirely, it's doomed to fail.. you know that?" I sighed and tried to not get frustrated at her. "Is your pride really hurt so bad that you won't even accept this battle is bigger than us?" Thalia asked her with a questioning look. "My pride... my pride? You're sure one to talk, you up and stole my boyfriend and turned him into a God." I would have responded then and there, but Rachel came down into the meeting with a green mist all around her.

Everyone who leaving rushed back in to see the Oracle stop in front of Chang, his Knights and the three of us. Rachel lifted a hand up at Chang, pointing with an eerie glare, and the slithery voice broke the silence.

_"The brother enslaved must fight without pause,_

_An immortal decision will rally a cause._

_Piece to the heavens that depends on a choice,_

_And a heroes last hour will lend him no voice._

_One love to be lost for one love to endure,_

_Fate's eternal engagement makes true hope obscure."_

The room was deadly silent as Rachel collapsed onto the ground, Chiron having some others scoop her up and take her to the infirmary to rest. He looked at me worriedly for a moment before speaking his mind. "Percy, you need to take the Hunters and campers and leave before nightfall. It might take a little bit, but I'll head out with Grover and Tyson's armies when they are all arrived and gathered." I nodded as I understood, then walked over to Chang.

"You alright man?" He looked sickly pale before shaking it off wearily. "Heavy man... heavy..." Was all he could really manage to reply as the Knights left the Big House. I turned towards Annabeth and sighed. "You're a dear friend, even with what you did to me..." I paused before looking at Thalia a moment and continued. "I need you to think like yourself, whatever issues you have with us, we need to put them on pause. Your friends, brothers and sisters need your help the most." She nodded slowly and walked out, giving me a small okay in reply.

"This just got a lot worse, didn't it?" I said looked at Thalia and Chiron with worry. "Percy, whatever we all face in this coming battle... I have a bad feeling that both Dioscuri won't be around to see the outcome." I paled visibly and noticed the lack of people now in the room. "Do you think history will repeat again, that one of the twins will actually die soon?" He slowly nodded yes, and I gulped down the frustration and bit of fear from the imminent feeling of loss. "They're sons of Hestia... I hope this doesn't have any bad effects on all our hope..."

Thalia grabbed my arm and pulled me up the stairs in haste. "You need to get ready to leave, it's gonna be a long journey and your not even ready yet." She smiled at me, but I still looked like somebody was dancing all over my grave. I pulled her in for a small kiss and then turned to get ready. "We have to do whatever it takes to survive this... not just you and me, but all of us." I said as I felt her hug me from behind. "I know we do... and we will." It took just a few hours for everyone to get ready, and we all headed through the woods to the ocean shore. It was a small group to travel on just one ship, seeing as Nico would summon the skeletons after we arrived and the others would show up later. We had all finally boarded and set sail, it wouldn't be long until we would be in the middle of a new war and quest. I couldn't help but wonder if this was the start of something much bigger, or the end to all of our previous troubles with the Titans.


	6. The Knights Hope

**A/N: The battle finally begins, and you all get to see your first glimpse of the other Dioscuri, Tajima. Thanks for all the continued support still, and make sure to keep reviewing and let me know any ideas or suggestion that you might come up with. I love to hear new ideas. Hope this chapter isn't too depressing, haha. Also, can't forget to thank the my two favorite demigods, justawriter33 and Vampireloverd and my favorite oracle (the only one that I know lol) TheOracleofDelphi.**

_**(Tajima's P.O.V.)**_

"Move faster... we'll be crushed at this rate! Flank you idiots, how can you possibly strike from the side if you aren't curving out your movements enough?" I shouted in frustration at my Knights, as we once again clashed with the army of Troy once again in the past month. I say we clashed with the army, but the reality is that Hector had been sending out just small divisions of his army to test our stamina and mettle. He knew he could easily whittle us down with a war of attrition.

"Captain, the Rangers are starting to falter some, they need a break." I sighed at the Knight who had approached me, Reed Griffin. I glanced over at my shoulder to see him covered in grime, dirt, sweat and some blood. "Tell them to pull back Sergeant.. I'm taking the Elite's in to do some cleanup." Reed just stared at me in disbelief.

Each of the four divisions within the Knights had four officers. Besides the Heavies, Technicals and Rangers, we had the unit that were the best skill and most trained. These we called the Elites, rather simply. It was the group that I personally led along with my brother. Though taking them into battle personally at the moment was a rash decision that was spurned on by the fact my men were getting their tails kicked.

"Captain... Tajima, please let me talk you out of this." I shook my head no, and ordered Reed to pull out the remaining soldiers. As the worn out Knights started to retreat from the battlefield, I caught sight of Hector switching out his own allies and units. I would love to say that the skirmishes had been peaceful but the truth was that in just the last months time, we were barely allowed to sleep or get very much rest. We had been doing so in shifts, and the Trojan armies had been purposefully fighting without trying to kill us outright. Hector seemed to be waiting for something actually, as we Knights hadn't suffered very many casualties so far. That wasn't an indication of how skilled we were either.

I cursed to myself as I saw a private envoy leaving the Troy gates and heading to where I stood on the plains with my Elites, in our black battle armor with shining silver trim. As the envoy got closer I noticed who it was, and grew extremely suspicious. It was Hector's captain, Cycnus. Cycnus, in Greek history, was a son of Poseidon who was invincible to any attacks from sword or spear. Quite the pain in my side as well so far in our brief engagements. I had already traded many letters and messages with Hector and his court so far, so we already knew well each other.

"Captain Kou, surely you see the pointlessness of extending your futile struggle. I scoffed at his attempts at politeness and consideration. "You think I'd just turn around and leave after having been out here for this long already?" I smiled angrily at Cycnus, who titled his head and just shrugged. "You had what again, close to 3,000 men when you first arrived, correct? I see far less than when you began your pathetic attempt to keep us in check." I rolled my eyes emphatically at his retorts, we did this multiple times a week and it was always the same result.

"How many times have we gone through this now? I am the Captain of the Dawn, and as long as I stand your armies will indeed be kept in check." He snarled at me in disgust, before raising his arms in frustration. "You will run out of men eventually, Captain." The hatred seething through his voice. "When you do, will you keep us in check all by yourself?" He laughed as he started to lead the envoy away, but turned back to offer one last thought. "Prince Hector decided to give your worn out men a little break, and we won't attack for another two days." I sighed lightly, knowing only my Knights close by could hear, as Cycnus went back into the city.

_**(Reed's P.O.V.)**_

We had all received word from the captain that there would be no attacks for a few days, we would be allowed to tend to our wounded and rest a little bit. Hector had done this with some frequency now, every week he would give us a small break to rest up and heal. There was a discipline and honor for battle and his opponents that hadn't fled him, even after the death he suffered from Achilles. I sadly couldn't rest as easy as some of the others. Tajima refused to leave the battlefield, despite the offer to rest and recover.

"Reed, do you think it's okay for him to stay out there and wait like that?" I was asked by the only other sergeant here, Fumio Han, who was in charge of our rangers. "The other elite's haven't left his side yet, and besides... you know good and well that man would never leave the battlefield. He's the driving pillar behind the Knights. I admit that Chang might be skilled tactically and a gifted fighter, but nobody could take the captains ability to lead or inspire." Fumio just nodded along with me, but it truly pained the both of us.

As the second day finally settled into night, I couldn't help but peer at the eternal seventeen year old, sitting out on the plains, guarding our camp so everyone else could rest. I was a bit shocked to see an envoy come out at this late hour, and even more surprised to find it carrying food and supplies. It appeared to be Hector's personal envoy, and I understood what was going on when they stopped in front of the captain, making him stand up and exchange words. Hector had noticed he wouldn't budge from his place, and was generously offering nourishment. The last thought that crept upon my as I drifted off to sleep was a disturbing one. I knew that Tajima would always place himself in the way of any obstacle to protect the Knights, and it suddenly dawned on me that this act would cause his death, and I feared it would be coming soon.

_**(Thalia's P.O.V.)**_

We had been traveling by water for three days now, Percy had been driving our boat with his godly powers of the sea, which made it surprisingly easy for us to make time. Chang had informed all of us that we were sailing for Troy, Montana. I was definitely not thrilled about heading all the way to Montana to face a legendary army. They couldn't be closer, in like Alabama or Tennessee.

The times Percy had come to rest, lord Poseidon had instructed Naiads and water spirits to help guide the boat correctly. We were able to take the Missouri river right into Montana, which proved to be extremely helpful. Percy and Nico both agreed that we needed to rest for the night near a place called Missoula. We were around 50 miles from from Troy and expected to arrive near the Kootenai river by the next day easily. My tent had been kindly prepared by the Hunters for me, and next to Nico's tent, was at the rear of our camp.

The majority of our setup looking like Camp Half-Blood might. Large tents housed demigods who bunked together by cabin, there was a smaller tent that housed the four Knights with us, as well as three large Hunters tents and the two small tents for us and Nico. I was sitting on the bedroll when Percy huffed into our tent.

"Something the matter, Perce?" He looked extremely tired and drained, resorting to very vocally plopping himself down next to me.

"I'm not going to die in this battle, am I?" He looked at me quizzically, but I sensed he had more to say so I waited for it. "Fighting Kronos, the thought wasn't something I truly worried about. I knew any of us could die then, but it's different now. Demigods will be dying under my supervision, and I'll have to keep making decisions to send them out into the world or into war like this." I watched him silently, placing my arm around him in an effort to console him by being here.

"Do you think it would be easier to lead them now, without being immortal?" I playfully tugged his head onto my lap, as I ran my fingers through his hair lovingly. "Take it from experience, it's far from easy trying to lead people you care about when you know that you can easily die along with them. You have to be a pillar of support, and right now the best way to do that is without the risk of death." He smiled up at me warmly, causing me to lean down into his lips and give him a reassuring kiss.

"Now, kelp head, you're this age's hero. Whether you asked for it or not, so stop being such a baby and act like a real God." I pinched his nose shut as I tried to hold back my laugh at his expression. "Even if you are just a silly, pathetic minor one." I added at last, scrambling over the makeshift sleeping bag beds, and into the tent wall on the opposite side. Percy jumped up in response, as if to chase me down, only to crumple our tent all around us.

We were both laughing hysterically as we climbed out from under the wreckage. Demigods alike were standing out of our ruined structure looking disgusted at our outburst. I gained a few frustrated stares from the Hunters, noticing also Annabeth glaring in a disbelieving manner. Nico shook his head from side to side as he walked over to us. "Can't you two ever calm down for once, always destroying something together, whether it's from playing or fighting." He smiled thoughtfully, and ushered everyone else back into their tents.

Both of our faces were surely beet red as we were finally able to get the tent remade after about half an hour. It would have gone sooner had Percy not kept getting in the way. Eventually we both settled inside of our sleeping bags together, hands interlocked as he kissed my cheek goodnight. "Tomorrow, don't forget that I'll be with you the whole time." I told him as I turned into him and fell fast asleep.

_**(Reed's P.O.V.)**_

True to his word, Hector had allowed the Pelasgians to attack at early light. The spearmen had what we believed to be about 2,000 soldiers. Though from the looks of it, only about half of that force was engaged with Tajima and his Elite's. I quickly roused all of the men, and within the hour we were completely prepared to lend our assistance. The Trojans had very different plans for that it seemed.

As I sent a squad of the Heavies out into fray, they were immediately met by the Phrygian cavalry. The Phyrgians kept using hit and run tactics, keeping our much slower defensive Knights from advancing very far into the battlefield. This was getting infuriating, these Trojans were up to some dirty trick, I could feel it.

"Fumio, can you take the Rangers to give Tajima some cover for a while?" Fumio gave his nod and headed to a small cliff like clearing and prepared his archers for the attack. I meanwhile took a group of our swiftest Knights and proceeded to try and flank the Pelasgians. The immediately abandoned attacking our worn out Captain and focused on my small troop with deadly efficiency. I glanced over to see Cycnus leading Troy's 1st Battalion out straight towards Tajima.

"Knights, to me!" Came the captain's cry. His men quickly followed suit and built their small defensive shield. We were all being engaged the most viciously we had been in the prior month, and all of the focus was on our exhausted leader. I desperately hoped that Chang would return soon with some kind of reinforcements.

We remained locked in repeated engagements for the entire day and well into the night. Our small groups were sore, tired and wounded but Tajima and his elite's refused to leave the field. We we're nursing our wounds quietly as the sun broke over the horizon of the Kootenai falls behind Troy. Cycnus once again began an earnest assault on Tajima's unit, but this time his group was significantly larger and accompanied with multiple officers. We raced out into the battlefield and were all met with similar embraces. Larges enemy forces with multiple officers. I'm sure it had occurred to the captain already, but I had suddenly realized that help was on the way and the Trojans were attempting to finish us off before it could arrive.

_**(Andrew's P.O.V.)**_

Our camp had broke early that fourth morning, and we wasted little time in setting out for Troy. It was in the mid afternoon when we finally spotted the crimson plains of battle, and noticed the Knights faltering under the pressure from a relentless Trojan offensive. Sergeant Han was ordering the rangers to secure the injured and treat them just as quickly. The entire battle was seemingly centered on a brutal assault against captain Kou and his guard.

They were flanked on all sides, and were being mercilessly battered. The guard was thinning by the minute and I could see the opponent facing off against Tajima was Cycnus himself. Even from just a small distance away now, the reigning blows were obvious. Cycnus and the other men surrounding Tajima were slicing away at him slowly. I watched in suspended horror as the beloved Knights of the Dawn captain dropped to one knee on the ground.

"TAJIMA..." I roared from atop the crested hill, paces ahead of the small demigod army heading towards the encampment. I bolted for the battlefield as fast as I could carry myself, praying to the Gods along the way that I would have the strength to endure my insanity. I faintly could hear Lieutenant Chang shouting from behind me in a wavering plea. "Andrew, don't."

I rushed head long into the enemy, using my spear to swat aside the first wave that approached me. The Knights rushed to my side, and as a whole we surged with renewed vigor. I had only one objective and it drove every fiber of my being right now. I was aware that Cycnus was invincible to wounds from sword or spear, and as I finally was able to divide the Trojans from Tajima. "Get him to safety, now!" I roared with rage, feeling the spear tip of Cycnus slice open my forearm.

"You don't deserve a second life!" I shouted mere inches from the man, as I gripped my hand tightly around his neck and lifted him into the air. It was at this moment that I started to feel the jabs and blows from the Trojan soldiers weaponry against my skin. As I was squeezing the life from Cycnus's body, I vaguely caught glimpse of Polydamas, Hector's Lieutenant, circling around behind me. I would never let go of my grip on this man's neck, no matter what might happen next.

I saw the gates open and Hector's small cavalry stride onto the field in a hurry. It was the last thing I would ever see, as I momentarily felt a long sword slice into the side of my neck from behind. The world went dark around me, as the screams and shouts nearby became dull and diluted until everything just ended sullenly.

_**(Percy's P.O.V.)**_

As the last bit of our currently small set of reinforcements reached the Knights command tent and pavilions, I was able to see the hulking tall one fall to the ground headless. I shuddered at the sight, but my attention was quickly averted by the couple of Knights carrying an almost lifeless young man with satin black hair and frozen silver eyes. I knew instantly who this was, and the thought racked my body. We had arrived almost too late.

Chang was screaming orders as he quickly caught himself up to speed of the last week's events here. I felt a hand resting on my shoulder, knowing it was Thalia, as the Knights and demigods seemed to whirl around me for a moment in a blurring haze. "Percy. Perseus!" The shouting of my name stirred me out of my stupor. "Hector wants an audience with you."

This shocked me a little, but Chang quickly explained to me the warring etiquette that the Commander of Troy followed vehemently. "Percy, he wants to give both our armies a reprieve, to conduct burial rights." I nodded back in understanding as I made my way with Chang, Nico and Thalia to the envoy's tent.

"You must be the new commander." Hector stated more than asked, as he looked over the four of us. "You have my sincerest sympathies for the losses you've inherited. As our customs, we tend to honor the dead anytime a mighty warrior dies in the throes of combat." I exhaled roughly and nodded along, glancing at Chang momentarily.

"So how long do you want?" I asked, my voice slightly shaking as if trying to undermine my forced calmness. Hector looked pained slightly as he answered. "One day will suffice, starting up sun up." Before he turned to go, he asked one last question. "Who are the other two captains with you? I would hate to not know the names of any brave souls who faced against me." I let Thalia and Nico introduce themselves both, letting that be the end of the small conference.

We left the envoy and headed back to the command tent, where we found a bedridden Tajima inside, along with a younger girl of Apollo kneeling over him. Chang excused himself to see to the situation with his men, and to oversee how the moral was holding up. I recognized the girl as Adara, her soft mumblings over a scar covered body of Tajima.

As Thalia and myself stepped out of the tent, Will Solace of Apollo stopped up. "His injuries are devastating. I'm not really sure how he isn't dead yet, Percy." Chang had walked up on Will's explanation with the other Knights officers as he said this. "Surely it's nothing that will keep my brother from fighting in a day or two, right?" Will shook his head sadly, glancing at Reed and Fumio.

"His wounds are mixed, many are from weeks of battle with what looks to be little rest. The fresher wounds are just the salt coating." Reed stared blankly for a moment before catching on. "The piercing just under his left lung isn't really healing, is it?" Chang quickly asked what he meant, and Reed replied with a sad tone. "A little over two weeks ago, Tajima tried to duel Hector in solo combat. Hector still has yet to take to the field from the injuries inflicted to him, but Tajima hasn't had the privilege of resting himself."

Chang groaned and shook his head in frustration. "How did I not notice it before.. he hid something like that for this whole time?" Reed gulped but Fumio answered with his slurred accent. "We both only noticed he was overcompensating in the last few days. Everyone's moral and hope has been faltering more and more by the day. So the captain has pressed himself even harder to make it all easier for the other Knights."

I clutched Thalia's hand nervously as I fought down the rage of emotions trying to swell inside me and boil over. "Chang, you understand that you must take full charge over the Knights now. You will have all the support we can provide, and together we will win this war."

My short encouraging speech was interrupted by the Knights who were carrying the large body of Andrew back with them. "We searched as long as we could, but we were unable to find his head." One of them announced in a shaken manner of speech. "We will go and prepare the burial shroud for him tonight." With that, the band disappeared further into the camp and the group of us headed back into the command tent.

Adara was still fussing over Tajima as we entered, which made me slightly pale as she tried to plead with him. "I refuse to let you leave me, you jerk. Hasn't everything been bad enough as it is..." Chang tried to put a hand on her shoulder, but she scowled at him and brushed it off quickly. I whispered lightly to Thalia, "Perhaps we should have her stay with the Hunters for a while, so she isn't bothered by anyone." Thalia nodded and called one of her Hunters over, and the girl escorted Adara out of the tent.

"So, we essentially have a day and half." I stated rather flatly towards Nico, Thalia and the Knights that were in the tent with me. "In the morning we need to regroup everyone and come up with a much more workable battle strategy. Until then I suggest we try to rest and recover, and deal with our loses." The others agreed with heavy hearts and we all went to out to honor Andrew and the other dead Knights. The shrouds of black with the symbols of a sunrise just peaking over a towering shield, draped over the coffins of the fallen warriors.

When everything had been completely for the day's sad events, I finally retired to the tent right behind the command tent with Thalia. I held onto her tightly as we sat there together, neither of us saying much as we relished the embrace we clung too. It was quite a while later when Hermes payed us a visit with a special message.

"Percy, Thalia.. Olympus just got a special package a little bit ago." We both waited for him to continue, wondering what it could have been. "Inside the package was the head of Andrew Biha, son of Hercules. Sent with a note from the Trojan army." I glanced in horror at Thalia, her eyes locking with mine in a moment of pure shock. "They are openly declaring war against the Gods, by vowing to destroy their children and armies."

We both thanked Hermes for the less than pleasant news, as he departed back to Olympus. I laid back and rested my head as I stared up at the top of the ceiling. "I feel like the hope is being sucked out of us." I said in a depressed voice. Thalia lay next to me and rested her head against my chest, where my heart was. "It's still beating bravely..." She said calmly, running her fingers down the right side of my face gently. "Not just your heart but the Dioscuri's, the Knights, the Hunters and the all the other demigods. Can't you feel it, our hope is building slowly, because all of our hearts are beating so bravely."

I leaned into a soft, passionate kiss and silently hope that Hestia's hope wouldn't fail us. I held onto the person I couldn't afford to lose, my personal hope. We both fell asleep, knowing that the our hope could never be stolen from us as long as we kept on fighting.

**A/N: Hope you guys enjoy the chapter, and are getting prepared for the real battle to kick up full steam. Please read and review, and hope everyone likes this (despite the rather dramatic turn in events).**


	7. Devour

**A/N: I want to thank NinjaDownTheStreet for the review, and idea that got this chapter much more personal (and gave me an extra idea to try out.) This chapter is brought to you by the Shinedown songs "Second Chance" and "Devour" (the battles with Tajima and Chang)**

**Also, to all everyone who's reviewed or added myself or the story to their favorites or alerts.. thank you all, I just recently broke the 50 review mark for this story and you guys all rock! Hope you enjoy this chapter especially. **

**Also, if anyone gets a chance, check out my friends Asterisk-Logan L's stories.. they're totally awesome!**

_**(Adara P.O.V.)**_

I woke up slightly before the sunrise that was encroaching the horizon, and headed towards the infirmary tent. It had annoyed me that I hadn't been allowed to stay in there overnight with Tajima, but it would be okay if I could see him as early as possible. Nobody was in the smaller tent that was housing him in the back. They had given him a more private tent so he could rest and also hold briefings with the other commanders if needed.

"Mornin." He casually called as I entered the tent, a faint trace of light spraying into the room. "Hey sweetie, you look a bit better today." I tried to reply cheerfully for him. He honestly didn't look that well, but I would be the last person he would hear that from. He gave a small chuckle, knowing that he couldn't possible be looking much better.

His face broke into a sullen facade that disturbed me. "Adara... do you love me?" The question stung me lightly, but I did my best to smile and nod yes. "Of course I do, why would you need to ask me?" My hands were lightly starting to shake as the Knights captain, this dark haired and silver eyed immortal teenager struggled to stand up to his feet in front of me.

"Tajima, what do you think you're..." He cut me off with a deep kiss and wrapped me tightly up in a loving but sad embrace. "I just need you to know that I care so much about you..." If I didn't know better, I could have sworn that he was crying.

"Adara... I'm so sorry that it has to be this way..." his words hung loosely in the cool morning air. "I love you so much... please forgive me."

I was absolutely stunned when the boy I loved more than anything in the world, painfully walked outside of the tent and fought to put on his battered but beautiful black armor. He never once looked back at me, and I fell to my knees in despair and pain. We had already spent our one day of reprieve to bury Andrew Biha's headless body and have our shroud ceremonies. Today the war would recommence.

I watched as the light of the dawning day broke across the plain between our camp and the walls of Troy. I heard his deafening cry that would be heard all through this valley by allies and enemies alike. I knew that this moment, with the dawn making him look like one of the Olympians, this was my final goodbye to Tajima Kou. "Knights of the Dawn... to me!"

_**(Trojans - Hector's P.O.V.)**_

"Lord Hector, the day of war is once again dawning, we can began our assault against the gods." I nodded as I had my morning meal with my brothers and fellow captains. We discussed our usual battle formations and strategies, and how to deal with the recent crop of reinforcements from the Knights.

"Brother, our scouts say that the new additions are composed mainly of archers and healers. The Knights still seem to be the bulk of their front line. We shouldn't have much to fear from the latest demigods arriving." Paris openly voiced his opinion, but it was a faulty one indeed.

"Paris, you should well know what kind of powers demigods can wield. They have all the children of the big three present as well, two of such being minor gods." Our information had been especially thorough, given it's sources. We knew every weakness and chink in our opponents army, and planned on exploiting it severely. The only real people we needed to account for were dead or demoralized. Biha had been swiftly beheaded, though it had cost my own personal captain. That just left Griffin and the other Kou, Chang. Tajima had been dealt a more devastating blow and his Knights moral would surely suffer from that.

A messenger came bustling into the dining hall nervously, as he begged to speak. I nodded in permission and he unleashed slightly unpleasant news, but it could be very advantageous for us overall. "My Lords, Tajima Kou is standing on the battlefield with his personal Knights."

My expression waned slightly for a moment, before a smile persed my lips. "I think I should personally go and greet the Captain of the Dawn."

_**(Percy's P.O.V.)**_

"Thalia.. wake up.." I shook lightly at her shoulders but just received a mumble and a few other inaudible words. "Something is going on outside, we have to hurry..." I would have tried to convince her to rise more, and I admit it was even hard for me to wake up this early. In actuality, I had a terrible dream, in which the Knights were horribly slaughtered.

"Come back to bed Percy, it's too early to get do anything yet." She mumbled again as I gave up on waking her up for now. I rushed to put on my pants and stepped outside, the sun was glaring directly into our tents direction from the plains.

"Tajima, no!" I looked over to my right and saw Chang and a defeated looking Adara crumpled to the ground. I knew immediately what was glaring the early sun in our faces. Somehow the Knights had grouped together as a wall, along with their bedridden and highly stubborn captain.

"Chang, is he really out there?" A got a solemn nod in response and stared back into the burning glare, before he offered a valid response. "My brother is the dawn, and I am the dusk... no matter his condition, he will always rise to the battlefield with the sun. That is his role, as the burning pillar of strength that refuses to be moved or swayed. He ushers in the rise of the day and the spirits of hope."

I looked a bit bewildered by the facts but nonetheless asked Chang what his role was then. "I am the soothing pillar of calm and night, that gives relief and justice to our allies. Hope can never survive without faith. I am the faith of the Knights."

Many others had begun to stir awake at the outburst of the dawn, and I was about to excuse myself when a young girl appeared from the side of the tents and rushed towards Chang and myself. I thought she was young at first, until I saw her as she got close to us. It was Hestia.

"Chang! I demand to know why you are standing here with that girl, while your brother is badly injured and trying to fight without your support." I was taken back by her harsh tone with her son, but Chang didn't flinch under her flaring fire eyes. "Mother... I can't change his decision in this, you should know that well enough."

She calmed down considerably but maybe it was grief that was really bothering her. "I don't want to lose either one of you..." Her voice shook slightly as she spoke and I couldn't help but think how my parents must have felt during the many battles I had fought in the year prior. Chang seemed to indeed resemble faith, as he knew exactly what to say to her. "I promise that I won't fail here... even if the fates have determined Taj's path... I promise that we will never fail."

He looked suddenly very tired and drained, and then I could hear the pinging sound of blades clashing on the battlefield. Tajima was making what we silently suspected to be his final stand, but his voice was refusing to falter as he kept shouting orders to the Knights. It was then that I saw the battalion of Trojans that were challenging him. Hector had personally led a group out from the gates, but it wasn't his own. He was planning on testing Tajima's strength first with the Carians.

_**(Thalia's P.O.V.)**_

I awoke to an empty tent and shouts of soldiers fighting and immediately worried that Percy had tried to tell me this morning he was leaving for battle. I got dressed in my hunter's battle armor as quickly as possible, but found Percy standing just outside the tent. Many others were just blankly standing and staring at the unfolding scene on the plains, which caused me to look and gasp. The Knights were fighting a much larger group, which Percy whispered to me were the Carians, being led today by Hector himself.

Yesterday in our war council, we had learned that Hector and the true Trojans had yet to participate in any of the skirmishes except for the previous one on our first day arriving. I knew we couldn't just stand about like idiots all day, so I began to gather up the Hunters and camp demigods. I found my best archer, a girl named Elyssa, and had her continue to rally all the Hunters up and meet me back at the command tent in an hour.

"Thals, can you hold back on taking the Hunters out into battle still." I looked quizzically at Percy, before asking him why. "What would the point of coming here and waiting?" He smiled stupidly at me, grasping my hand for emphasis. "Simple.. it seems that Hector only cares about the destruction of the Knights. He believes that we might be just simple reinforcements, so we need to keep playing up that front for a while longer."

I nodded understandingly and when Elyssa came to report in, I told her to stand by with the others for support. "Thalia, is that the best idea?" She asked me sincerely, and I explained to her why it was best for the moment. "Elyssa, if we do indeed decide to engage the enemy, it will only be as archers and from a distance." I relayed to her, which prompted a slight nod. "Gotcha, I'll tell the others." She went back to the girls and watched in anticipation with them.

Chang was rousing the Knights finally but Lady Hestia was holding him back, it was a bit past noonday by now and I was wondering what they were waiting for. "Percy, how come Hestia isn't allowing the next wave of Knights to join in?" He was standing near Nico and Annabeth, just a few paces behind Chang and his other officers.

"Tajima doesn't seem to really need the help." I was about to slap my boyfriend but I noticed the young men on the plains, enthralled in combat. Tajima stood out in the middle of them all, hacking and slicing a small circle around himself with precision. His skill was by far the best I had ever seen, far surpassing that of Percy or Luke. It reminded me of someone we had constantly learned about in schooling at camp, Achilles.

The Dawn elite's were no slouch either mind you. Percy, Annabeth and Nico pointed out the officers, they all wore black plumes on their silver trimmed helmets. None of the other Knights had any plumes yet, but the one that stood out was the flashy silver plume of the captain. "He's incredible..." Annabeth gasped in a mere whisper, but we all nodded along with her in agreement.

_**(Third Person P.O.V.)**_

Tajima whirled in small, concise circles, while the Dawn elites responded to his movements in perfect fluidity. The Carians were having a world of trouble breaking into the defenses of the Knights. Within moments Tajima had dealt mortal blows to the Carian three lower ranking officers of Clytius, Polybus and Calesius. The whole aura of the Knights was building and Hector's face scrunched up in a mixture of worry and concern.

The Carians lieutenant, Amphimachus, wheeled around with his spear on Tajima who had his back turned as he dealt with two opposing men. It was blocked by a young, and the lowest ranking Elite, Leon Hunter. Leon had a shining black war-axe, which he used to propel Amphimachus's attack backwards. As if on perfect cue, Tajima swung his swords and quickly impaled the lieutenant. The battle continued to rage on for a little longer as the sun started to dip into the horizon and Tajima's skills started to slightly diminish.

As the pale sunset broke out across the sky, a new battle cry echoed from the Knights. Chang rushed into the battle with the Dusk elites. "I am the dusk.. the relief of the night... Knights to me!"

The two headed Dioscuri of the Knights showed it's true worth for the first time to Hector and Trojans, with immense power and devastating effects. Only mere minutes after arriving to support his brother, Chang dispatched the Carians captain, Nastes. Hector visibly flinched but under his motioning a new battalion entered from the gates, the 1st Division of the Trojans, Hector's personal battalion and the ones responsible for Andrew's death.

_**(Percy's P.O.V.)**_

I wasn't sure exactly when Thalia and lovingly slipped her hand into mine, but we stood there in awe of the Knights. The twin brothers fought together as one perfect group with their Knights among them. I heard a familiar song suddenly playing next to me, as I looked to see Apollo standing there with Artemis, both with comforting hands on Hestia's shoulders for support. All three were watching with baited breath, as I caught the ominous words of a _Shinedown_ song on Apollo's iPod.

_"Devour Devour_

_Suffocate your own empire_

_Devour Devour_

_It's your final hour_

_Devour Devour_

_Stolen like a foreign soul_

_Devour Devour_

_What a way to go"_

I felt a growing unease, and looked around me to see that all of the Olympians had appeared around us. They were all watching anxiously as Hector, Polydamas and the 1st Division of Trojans squared off with Tajima, Chang and the Elite's. It seemed everyone was holding their breaths, but it all came crashing down just as quickly and violently.

Polydamas had Tajima occupied, as Hector started battering on Chang. The younger Dioscuri was clearly outmatched against the commander of Troy. Hector beat Chang deeply into a corner, and then the moment came. Tajima risked a dangerous blow from Polydamas, a slash to his exposed back. This gave Tajima a chance to separate his brother from Hector's next strike, which would have been a fatal one for Chang.

"Hope for the Dawn..." Tajima yelled as loudly as he could, but we all winced as Hector's sword cut him across the chest. Chang staggered back as both Hector and Polydamas swooped in to seal off any Knights trying to rush in for the rescue. Tajima was cut off from his own army and we could only watch and the Trojans beat a hasty retreat.

All of the Gods seemed frozen by what lay in front of them and what the empty plains of the battlefield held as Chang dropped onto his hands and knees. Hector and his men had stolen Tajima's body, after inflicting what had to have been a deathly wound. The first to make a noise was Hestia, who screamed in agony. "Agh.."

The sky piercing scream set off a small chain off sobs and cries, and I knew that we would be given a respite from the Trojans to let this casualty sink in. It took quite a few minutes for the Knights to almost literally drag Chang back to our camp, he appeared utterly defeated. "I've failed... failed my brother and my Knights... our hope has been stolen..."

Every single Knight looked broken and lifeless, and the Knights and demigods alike slowly retreated into their tents. I knew something had to be done, but I had no idea what or how to start. I felt just as depressed as everyone else did, and I wasn't sure if it was because of the effects of watching Tajima's demise in plain view, or if Hestia had seemingly given up hope herself.

Thalia pressed against my back softly, gripping me around the waist consolingly. I could only repeat what Chang had muttered in what had to be the worst hour of his life. "The hope has been stolen." She clutched onto me tighter and I could feel her fighting back tears. I was sure that Hestia herself had given up hope now. I knew what needed to be done. "Thalia, I won't ever leave you. I won't ever let you cry for me, and I won't let you cry for the loss of your Hunters or any more friends. Not here at least."

I stood up after kissing her softly, and found the Gods and Chang together in a dark and defeated mood. "Get your tears out now, because you made a promise Chang." I spoke with all the nerves and conviction that I lacked. "We mourn tomorrow for Tajima, and the next day... all of us together, show Hector and his Trojans that we have not lost our hope! It is shining and burning brighter than it ever has before."

Somewhere inside of me, my courage grew tenfold and I shouted as loud as I could for everyone to hear me. "Together, all of us together... we will show them our strength, and that we have not lost our hope! We will not lose here... we have already lost too much!" Chang thanked me with bleary eyes and smiled, but went back to consoling and counseling with the gods.

I returned to Thalia, a small spark of light inside of me burning now. "Thalia Grace.." I stared her deeply in the eyes, even knowing she resented her last name. "I love you."

**A/N: Check out the above mentioned songs from Shinedown, they rock! Also, please read and review and hope you guys enjoy the chapter. A new one will be up soon (can't have all my readers and fans depressed lol).. A special final thanks to the Ghost King, thanks for your help, and confidence in my writing. Also, review your opinion on who should have the RIGHT to kill Hector!**


	8. The Endless Dawn

**A/N: This chapter is a bit shorter, but a very much needed one. Hope you all enjoy it, and keep cheering on Percy, Thalia and the Knights as they continue to endure the hardest fights of their lives. Thanks for all the love, reviews and supports (and Veritas nomination). I still unfortunately don't own PJO but I'm working on that, once I finish kidnapping Rick Riordan, mwahaha. (Just Kidding.)**

_**(Thalia's P.O.V.)**_

_I silently stepped into the cavern, peering helplessly as the darkness seemed to consume every inch for what seemed to be miles. I knew the place seemed familiar but I struggled in vain to remember it. With unsteady steps, I slowly proceeded up the rocky ledge of stairs until I reached the top. I could barely make out the shadowy pillars and hard stone floor, but the stench was nearly unbearable and it was then I heard a ragged, raspy voice talking to someone else._

_"So, did you acquire the final piece I need?" I tried to focus in the direction the voice came from but my eyes and sense were met by nothing but darkness. "Yes my lord, we've got everything ready as you ordered. Now all we need is to finish stalling long enough for the object to recover enough of it's luster to be an appropriate exchange."_

_I was lost amidst the conversation, not much of it made sense and I could place neither of the voices behind the veil of shadows. "Even if history does repeat itself entirely, enough of them will be wiped out anyway. Those fools still have no clue as to what's truly going on." An awful laugh shredded through the darkness and ripped my ears violently, and I started to convulse in pain._

"Thalia! Wake up, please." I slowly came back to my senses to see a bewildered Percy trying to wake me up. I blinked a few times to gain my bearings and remember where I was. "Percy.. I had a horrible dream, something bad is coming." I told him hoarsely, noticing how sweat soaked I had become.

"Bad? Everything lately has been bad, Thals." He tried to smile as he said it, but it was to no avail. "No, I mean something worse.. worse than we're already having to deal with." He set his features firmly and gave me a reassuring hug. "It's okay, whatever comes, worse or otherwise." He kissed me comfortingly as he said it, causing me to melt into my relief and his arms.

I steadied myself for the day ahead as we got dressed and I silently pondered how the others around our camp were doing. "Do you think everyone will be alright? This war doesn't seem to be very much in our favor right now." I had no idea how shaken the Knights might be but I knew that despite the painful losses, our resolve was hardening. We just needed to make a strong stand and push soon, something to turn the balance of this back to at least even.

"Well, shall we check on the others?" Percy nodded as we both headed to the command tent. I glanced nervously at Percy, then looked around the makeshift war council. Nico and Annabeth were both here already, along with the Stoll brothers and Clarisse. There didn't appear to be any Knights yet, not that I could personally blame them though. I saw my appointed officers slink into the room beside myself and Percy, there was Phoebe and Tristen, plus the newer girl Elyssa.

Right before we could get things even halfway started, Adara and a girl named Cassidy ran into the tent frantically. "Chang is missing." We all started at them blankly. "He was in his tent all through the night, but sometime near dawn he slipped out without his Knights noticing." Cassidy literally squealed as Adara softly rested her hand on the girl's shoulder. Adara looked like she hadn't slept at all and as red as her eyes were, it was no wonder if she were crying the whole time.

"Chang didn't really seem himself since..." She cut off her words, obviously fighting back more tears. "Reed said that Chang left his shield and spear in his tent, but the twin blades were missing." Percy caught on quickly as he sighed and leaned over the table. "It seems as if Chang has an intent of carrying out revenge using Tajima's own blessed twin swords." That was when, for the second day in a row we heard a piercing yell that seemed to be making the sun itself rise faster than usual.

_**(Third Person P.O.V.)**_

Chang didn't sleep any the entire night following Tajima's supposed death and body snatching by the Trojans. Hestia had stayed with him the entire night, the other gods had paid frequent visits at intervals the entire night and now it was just before the sunrise, and Chang was putting on his black battle armor. "I promise to get revenge for my brother, your son." He lightly whispered to Hestia as he left out into the darkness of the night still.

Chang had reached the clearing of the plains and proceeded all the way to the gates of Troy, just staying out of range from the towers archers. "HECTOR!" Chang bellowed loudly for all to hear. "Hector! Come out and face me!" The yells of pain and anguish echoing all through the valley. Chang was indeed portraying the role of Achilles, seeking vengeance for his lost loved one from Hector.

The sun began to rise onto the plains, casting a familiar scene. It would indeed appear as if Tajima Kou were standing on the battlefield, guarding and protecting his beloved hope. The truth was that it was now in fact, Chang Kou, taking up the mantle of his brother but with far more ferocity, as he sought to uphold his role of maintaining the faith. "HECTOR! COME AND FIGHT ME!" Chang shouted as loudly as possible, and finally resigning himself to what would be another duel, Hector had the gates opened.

Hector had indeed beaten Chang the previous day, causing the loss of his brother and for this duel there appeared to be a growing audience for both sides. Hector could effectively crush the entire spirit of the Knights with this one simple duel and in this moment, his arrogance got the better of him. "Come little boy. You might be a good strategist, but you are not your brother's equal when it comes to combat. I will enjoy crushing you, and the Knights entirely with this duel."

Chang just threw his head back and let out a crushing roar, before violently shaking like an animal. "I plan on drinking your blood for dinner!" Chang yelled in anger at Hector and the fated duel started, the two squaring off like in a gladiator's arena with the thousands of spectators.

Hector threw his spear at the sudden rushing Chang, but his aim only drew the shield on the enraged Dioscuri. Hector unsheathed his sword and started to back up slowly in retreat of the viscous animal enclosing fast. Chang gripped his spear tightly and dropped it to the ground and grinned, unsheathing his brothers twin black bladed swords. He darted quickly at Hector, slashing upward with the first blade, which caused the Trojan commander to block hastily and keep backpedaling.

Chang immediately struck down with the other blade, meeting Hector's shield in frustration. Hector tried to loosen the advantage by knocking away one of the swords with his shield, but Chang was too strong physically. A strength he didn't posses the previous clashes, and the result was Chang cutting a slight gash into Hector's leg. Hector decided to play a risky gamble and hurled his shield at the furious Chang. .

It was batted away with unnerving ease, the crowds both still watching in horror. Chang ran directly at Hector and swung wildly, which was blocked easily. Using the momentum from a seemingly wild attack, Chang did a back flip and kicked Hector in the sternum, driving the man back further. Hector stumbled slightly and tried to brace for the next incoming attack. Chang spun counter clockwise as soon as his feet touched the ground, causing a tornado type of swinging motion with both swords.

The armies of Troy gasped in shock as the first burning black blade ripped open Hector's breastplate and chest. The second blade slicing his throat unmercifully, slowly dropping the wide eyed Trojan prince to his knees before he hit the ground lifeless and dead. Chang roared like a crazed monster, and shook the blood from his brother's swords before cleaning them in the plains openly in front of the city.

"Keep your disgusting dead prince, as a remind that anything you try to take of ours, will be violently and vengefully repaid in full every time." Chang roared to the city and armies of Troy, before returning back to the cheers of the Knights camp.

_**(Percy's P.O.V.)**_

"You asshole!" The group that had gathered as Chang dueled and defeated Hector stood in shock as Reed punched the man hard in the face. Chang was sent sprawling to the ground, the blazing fire of hatred in his eyes had given way to a hopeless expression of a shattered youth.

"Stand down, jerk!" Reed continued before lacing a profanity heavy spewing of words at his own commander. Chang just sullenly took all of the abuse his officer dished out, never trying to object. "Why are you such a selfish prick? You run off to get help and abandon our fight, and the captain has to die because you're not even man enough to hold your own against Hector in a small battle."

Leon tried to place on Reed's shoulder to calm him some but that just caused the much larger Knight to wheel around and stare coldly at Leon. "You want to object pup? You know, as good as everyone else, that Chang has always been a coward." I simply stared in shock at the outburst, noticing many doing the same.

"He's right, Leon." Chang added to the own berating of himself. "I could have easily sent someone else to ask for help, but I couldn't bear to watch my brother endure so much suffering. I deserve everything Reed feels towards me, as well I'm sure many other Knights do. I personally ran because I'm not nearly as skilled as Tajima was, and I still had to watch him slaughtered in front of me."

Reed's red angered face had not let up, and his clenched fist held an extreme amount of malice. "He was my best friend and as Knights, we were all brothers, not just the two of you." Reed was close to breaking down as a group of Knights finally secured him and blocked the distance between the two. "You're responsible for his death... you took away the person we admired the most. You've stolen our hope, not Hector or the Trojans."

Right before Reed could continue or attempt to say anything else, a young woman appeared in front of Chang. It was Hestia and with her was Apollo and Hera. "Silence! I will not have my precious family be ripped apart by this pointless squabble!" Hera yelled at Reed and anyone else who was harboring similar thoughts. I was rather surprised to see Hera intervening but knowing what she stood for, it made a bit of sense.

"Reed, you understood how Tajima felt and thought nearly better than anyone, except perhaps Chang. You can't let your anger of the situation turn you against your family, not when you all need each other so much right now." Hestia spoke so kind and softly but her words resounded through our whole camp and to every single person there. "We have lost much, but we must firm our resolve and show our focus. If you keep faith in each other... I will never let your hope die!"

They seemed more like words intended specifically for the Knights, but they punctured the hearts of all. Many shouts and cheers rang out among our makeshift army, as promises had been upheld firmly, but our hope had not diminished. I felt a new strengthening inside of myself, like I had during the battle of Olympus against Kronos, and I saw it across the faces of so many.

"We must show this vile army of Troy, that while they think us weak and rundown. While they consider us to be at war with ourselves, we have not lost our hope. We will show them, that they will never see the sun set on this field again, for we provide them with an eternal and haunting dawn." More cheers and victory cries erupted from the camp, and I couldn't help but notice the spirit of our army casting a faint golden light across the tents and into the plains between ourselves and the walls of Troy. "Tonight, we honor the sacrifice that was made with celebration and tomorrow we show that we will not be beaten. Not here or now, and never by them."

Tajima's shroud burning was still met with plenty of tears but the resolve that burned within us all now, far outshines any pain we might have felt from the losses we had previously suffered. Thalia clutched onto my hand tightly as I caught her gaze and smiled. "I didn't get to thank you for this morning." She said blushingly, as I waved a strand of hair out of her eyes. "You never will either."

I told her softly, whispering into her ear before giving her a slow and passionate kiss. "Whatever we might face beyond this, you have me." She planted a return kiss on my lips immediately after I finished speaking, then replied as if we were the only people in the world at that moment. "You have me also, no matter what comes."

**A/N: This chapter is brought to you by Skillet with "Monster"; Shinedown with "Heroes"; "Resolve" and the Foo Fighters with "Resolve", "End Over End" and "Friend of a Friend"**


	9. Love and War

_**A/N: I don't own PJO, and thanks to all those who read and review the story.. hope you enjoy the chapter and y'all prepare for big battle starting in chapter 10. Enjoy!**_

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_**(Adara's P.O.V.)**_

The tension was like that between two prize fighting boxers being separated into their respective corners. Reed was led away by many larger Knights and some other strong individuals, while Chang just escorted himself away towards his tent. I hadn't honestly been feeling myself since Tajima's funeral, and found myself silently floating behind Chang on his path back to rest. Not entirely sure what my intentions were, or why I was keeping more to the shadows than just simply walking behind him, I waited a couple of moments before entering.

"What do you want?" He asked with an icy edge to his voice. It made me hesitate before I looked up into his shattering golden eyes and dirty brown hair. The face was ideally the same but that hair and those eyes didn't match, he was so close to being his twin it was scary and comforting at the same time.

"Are you alright?" I hesitantly asked, my hands tugging at the sides of my shirt like a nervous school girl in front of a popular boy. "I doubt that Reed meant all of those things.. it's been really crazy lately.." I took a step closer to him, feeling my face flush red with embarrassment. Why was I trying to console him? The guy I loved had died and this idiot hadn't even tried to say anything to me yet.

My thoughts were cut off, good and bad both, when he rested his hand atop my right shoulder. "Do you think.. that I'm a coward?" The words almost stuck in his throat as I lost myself in that oh-so-familiar face. "I don't think you're a coward. You killed Hector and a good fighter, and now your the sole leader of the Knights." It didn't sound as nearly as pleasant as I really had hoped, but it might have had too much of an impression.

Standing there in the dimly lit tent of the immortally young and new Knight captain, the twin of the person I loved, kissed me. It felt both familiar and foreign at the same time, a moment that I wasn't sure was real or imaginary and it ended with a shrieking scream.

"Ah..." I quickly pushed Chang away from me, efficiently breaking the kiss as we both looked to see the third party who had burst into his tent, but I had a good guess who it might be. "You... you... agh!" My suspicions were confirmed, standing in the tent's opening was Cassidy. "It's not enough for you to get your own boyfriend killed, but you have to take mine now also?"

I blinked at her in astonishment, trying to puzzle together if she had really just told me that I was responsible for Tajima's death. My mouth opened and closed a couple of times, but no sound or words would escape my lips. Chang interrupted our potential fight, with a stern look on his face. "You have no right to talk to Adara about my brother like that, and so you know.. I kissed her first, which I apologize for."

I realized that despite his scolding of the girl, he was apologizing to me and not her. I nodded my head dumbly as I still had nothing to add objectively to this growing conversation. "You kissed her first?" Cassidy asked in astonishment, her voice mixed with a twinge of fear. Chang just took a deep breath and sighed. "Yes, and it wasn't right or fair of me, she's always been my brother's."

I tried to mouth the words 'sorry' to Cassidy, but the tears were already starting to flow down her cheeks. "I've always held a grudge against you, Adara. I wanted to be happy like the two of you were, but I was just fooling myself in the end." The girl rushed away from the tent and I made a break to follow her. Chang tried to pull at my arm to keep me from going, and I just glared back at him. "You should be the one trying to console her.. you think that you're the only one hurting? You're just a big jerk, and maybe Reed was right about you! Stop running from the people who care about you!"

_**(Thalia's P.O.V.)**_

I swear that I heard a scream from what I thought was Chang's tent. Percy should be the one to look into this kind of thing, being male and all, but it was a girl who screamed. I figured that something bad must have happened, and I needed to inspect it carefully. As I got close enough to the tent I saw Cassidy rush away with Adara chasing after her. _Oh, this is gonna be trouble. _I thought quickly, but got within hearing distance of the duo. Adara was trying to console the other girl, but from what I remember of them at camp, they had never really gotten along before.

"He's just really confused at the moment, please don't view him badly because of it." As I was trying not to be caught spying on their little chat, Percy snuck up on me from behind. Well, he didn't really sneak, but I was so absorbed into the two girls that I didn't notice him until he was whispering into my ear.

"What's going on, Thals?" I nearly jumped out of my own skin, before calming back down and relaxing next to him. "I think we have a budding love triangle growing. Besides that though, did the council have anything additional to say?" I tried to scan his face for an answer, but if he had one then he was hiding it well. "I told them all about your dream and the most we could figure out was there must be a spy or something within the Knights. We just have to hold our own a little while longer, and the enemy should make the significant mistake we need from them."

Percy pulled on my hand softly, walking with me back to our tent for the night. As we got out of any possible eavesdropper's earshot, he added a final thought to the recent council ideas. "Nico said that someone had been snooping around the Styx for a few weeks, but his dad wasn't sure their intentions and whoever it was never stuck around long enough to be interrogated." That thought was alarming but odd as I was roughly pulled inside our tent, Percy pulling me down onto the bed to sit next to him.

"The most troubling issue is the state of the Knights." I tried not to roll my eyes or grow annoyed at how they could crumble so quickly this fast. "You don't think a spy could have anticipated them falling apart like this, in the event of his death, do you?" Percy shook his head no, but added his own thoughts to the mix. "I think their breakdown was unexpected, but the Trojans would surely use it to their advantage, so it's gonna be our turn to act now. In the morning Nico is going to summon his skeletal army. Our debate was how many he could summon and if there would be any kind of limitations on them."

I tilted my head for a moment, awaiting the answer before I had to pull it out of him myself. "Well, kelp head? Is there a limit or anything?" He ran his fingers through his unkempt hair before smiling at me. "Sorta yeah.." Percy hesitated and smiled sheepishly again. "Nico said that while they would provide good shields and can most likely deal with basic soldiers, they will be essentially useless against the most skilled Trojans and officers."

Percy seemed a little bothered by something still, so I decided to pull it out of him as best as I could. I softly placed my hands on his cheeks and pulled him in for a soft, deep kiss. "We can make it out of this, remember." I smiled at him and we just stared at each other for what seemed to be a few minutes before both laying down to sleep. I held tightly onto him as we both laid there awake, trying to will ourselves to rest, but all I could think about was his heart beating as he breathed.

"Thalia.." Percy finally broke the pleasant silence in just a small whisper. "We're going to tip our hand in the morning, we have to fully gain the momentum back in this struggle. The Knights need to rest also, and hopefully will regroup swiftly. We have..." I shut him up by kissing him and staring lovingly into his sea green eyes, I felt annoyed with myself for not seeing how much he was trying to handle for everyone. "Just shut up and sleep, we'll figure everything out together and if you continue keeping everything to yourself then I'll just have to beat you senseless."

I buried my head into his chest and listened to his heartbeat again, feeling his breathing relax and his hold on me adjust and become more secure, we both slipped off in a blissful and dreamless sleep.

_**(Percy's P.O.V.)**_

The sun was rising into the md-morning sky when I finally woke up and woke Thalia up as well. We both went about our usual morning activities in preparation. Kissing, laughing and smiling, with my occassional joke or act of idiocy and her threatening to beat me up if I continued it. I was stumbling around in my bed clothes still, which consisted of just a shirt and shorts, when I stopped Thalia from getting dressed herself. This nearly got me slapped, seeing as she had on surprisingly less than usual, wearing just a bra and boxers.

"Perseus, what do you think you're doing? We don't have time to admire the view or play some ridiculous game today." Thalia had definitely woken up ready to get into battle today, so I was on rather thin ice for the moment. She watched me stare at her body for a moment, before adding with a threatening tone. "Unless you forgot, we plan on going into battle ourselves today. I didn't want to have to make an extra change into less before I put on my armor, so I skipped step."

I gulped, nodded and sheepishly smiled at her. "I just wanted to hold onto this memory for a minute first, just in case." She looked irritated before cracking a smile at me. "Gods, you're such a boy." I couldn't help but laugh as she rolled her eyes while getting ready, then turning to me with a mocking look and snickered. "You plan on going to war like that, lover boy?"

I blushed at her, noticing my obvious misstep in dressing. I was standing in almost full battle armor, with the exception being the shorts I was still wearing. "I should finish getting ready.." I said with a small laugh. "Will you gather the Hunters and have Nico get the campers roused?" Thalia nodded and gave me a playful punch in the gut. "Don't take long, and you better be fully dressed when you come out, or else."

I composed myself and took a moment before properly getting ready. I stepped out into the crisp Montana air, and proceeded to the command tent. Thalia, Nico, Annabeth, Clarisse, Travis, Connor, Adara and two other males were there waiting. I could place one of the boys but not the other, but an introduction was properly made before I could wonder too much about it.

"Lord Perseus, I am the current representative for the Knights, Lieutenant Fumio Han." He was by far the oldest Knight I had yet seen, at least appearance wise. "Please, no need for formalities here." I smiled while politely informing the man, who nodded before motioning to the slightly young man behind him. "This is my Corporal, Seiji Kayato. We are the commanding officers for the Rangers."

Nico looked at myself and then Thalia before looking at both Knights. "So, are you newly appointed Lieutenant, and why isn't Chang meeting with us on the Knights behalf?" Fumio gave a bit of a disgruntled look before explaining, much to the protest of his subordinate beside him. "I have been in place as the Lieutenant for quite a few years, this is not a new station for myself." I glanced at Thalia nervously, the Knights might be in worse shape than we both thought last night.

Fumio didn't miss a beat though, as he continued to explain. "The Knights have only one Captain but we maintain two separate Lieutenants, as well as two Sergeants, and each of our divisions has it's own Corporal." It was making more sense, but still didn't answer the obviously glaring issue at present.

"So, if your a Lieutenant, then it's fair to assume the other is Chang, correct?" Fumio nodded, the officer behind him interjecting. "Lieutenant Chang is more of a strategist than a fighter, it's why there are two." Fumio raised a hand up silently, the younger Kayato quickly stopped his participation in the discussion. "Despite being the Lieutenant and second seat for the Elite's, Chang has always deferred to his brother in actual combat. I worry that unless he takes a much more active role on the front lines, that the Knights will try to divide themselves accordingly."

Annabeth was rolling her eyes, Clarisse was enjoying the turmoil within the Knights and many others appeared slightly panicked. "So, what do you suggest we do to help?" Thalia asked incredulously, but the man didn't back down from her, only smirked. "Chang is in no true condition still to lead, and a majority of the men wouldn't follow him for various reasons. The problem is that, as Knights, we will not serve another Captain other than our previous. I believe you understand that way of thinking?" Fumio said still not breaking his eye contact from Thalia.

She agreed, which I knew she would. The Hunters would only view Artemis as their commander, even if they did have varying Lieutenants. "We get the premise, so you plan on acting as commander in Tajima's stead?" Annabeth posed the difficult question the smiling man with Asian features. "Actually, the idea that myself and the other officers believe best, is for Perseus to take overall command." I was about floored by the idea but Nico and Thalia both seemed to like it.

"In light of things, that seems like a good course of reasoning. It would allow our main leaders to avoid as much conflict as possible, good control of our armies and help reduce untimely deaths." Nico said as I agreed reluctantly with the vote that followed. "That means you need to appoint a temporary field commander, Thalia." I said to her sternly, hoping she wouldn't insist on partaking directly as a commander. She just shrugged lightly and half smiled, while I issued out the plans I had gone over last night with the Olympian council.

"For the moment, we need two officers for each division our forces are separated into." Everyone looked at me curiously, while I gathered all of my thoughts. "Lieutenant Han serve as my second until Chang is ready to resume his duties, then I will decide on a further course of action for the Knights, whose ranks are already firmly established." Fumio gave me his salute, as did his officer. "Nico will help out with the campers and our skeleton front lines, Thalia will continue with the Hunters. Which brings us to the campers, which I want in four divisions, which will be broken into grouped cabins based upon family traits."

Everyone nodded as I broke up the groups, similar to the Knights ranks. "Clarisse will lead our front lines, the cabins being Ares, Hephaestus and Nemesis." Clarisse grinned and told me her picks for her officers. "I would like Michael McDonald from Hephaestus, and Taylor Preston from Nemesis." I nodded as we sent messengers to inform the ones chose to report to the command tent immediately. "The Stoll's will lead our next division which will be made up of the cabins of Hermes, Hecate, Demeter, and Dionysus." Both the brothers smiled and cooed in unison. "Cassidy Faust."

I thought of the slight irony in that aspect, but knew it might be a good idea for her safety and some of her friends around her in combat. "Our last division will consist of the cabins from Apollo, Eros, Aphrodite, and Athena." The room was a little shocked at the last group, and I could feel Annabeth glaring at me. "Annabeth will lead our healers and archers, and lend assistance to the other divisions of demigods." I was a little nervous that she might object but instead just offered her two choices of officers. "Adara Markas and Wyatt Phelps." After a couple of minutes of deliberating about battlefield positioning and generally just waiting on the rest of our war council to arrive, they all finally did.

Once everyone had gathered, I finished up my summaries of the army and current tactics. "Alright, everyone gather your cabins by division and group accordingly." All but Nico, Thalia and the two Knights left us. "Fumio, I would like the Knights to rest as long as possible, but would your Rangers be able to lend support without getting directly involved if needed?" He smiled and nodded, leaning into our small circle. "The Hunters might be decent fighters, but nobody can best me in archery." He saluted and smiled challengingly towards Thalia, who was grinning back at him as if accepting his archer's duel. "Don't do anything rash, Thals." I tried to warn her, but was shrugged off by the anticipation of very fresh combat looming.

"Alright guys, how about we go out and greet us some Trojans properly." Nico left to go get ready to summon up our skeleton front line, and Thalia started to leave to get the Hunters together. "When I use them, my officers will be Tristen and Elyssa. That doesn't mean I won't be fighting.. but, I promise I'll be careful." She said to me with a smile as she left me alone to myself in the tent.

"There is a bit more conflict that I was hoping for..." I started to mumble to myself, but was cut off by an additional voice. "That's the general state of war, cousin." I turned around to see Hermes, grinning like he was planning on ripping off a bank or something. "Do you think the Knights will be okay? A lot seems to be riding on how they cooperate with each other now." Hermes patted my shoulder reassuringly. "I doubt the Knights will forget what they've lost so easily. It won't likely be in this war because of the fresh vengeance they will most likely thirst for.. but if they crumble, it will most likely be later on. You just need to hold them together until then." He continued grinning and I couldn't help feel a little better, but more nervous also. "Yeah.. no pressure." I smiled at him as he disappeared and I turned to face the day.


	10. A Maiden's Oath

**A/N: Sorry for the longer delay in chapters than I would have liked, had a few internet issues for part of the week, but without any further hiccups... hopefully you all love this chapter (gonna try and make it a little longer to make up for it). The first part of this chapter is dedicated to TheOracleofDelphi and vampireloverD.**

_**(Fumio's P.O.V.) **_

The plan was simple for the most part, seeing as only my rangers were the only active Knights participating at the moment. Our acting commander, Percy, had instructed me to lend support from the eastern side of the plains while the Hunters would secure the western side. I gathered my highest ranking officers and directed them accordingly.

"We will be supporting the demigods within our section of the battlefield. Jeremiah and Christian, you will team together to observe the primary chunk of our assigned section. Seiji will patrol the edges with a select few archers, while I stay near Lord Perseus and the rest of their forces just in case of emergency." All three officers confirmed their orders and broke off into their collective assignments, leaving me to venture back towards Percy and the main body.

"How do things look?" I asked towards the direction of Percy, Nico and Thalia as I got within conversation range. "Not sure really." Percy smiled at me haphazardly and with a relaxed glee. "At the moment, we've only spotted the Ciconians and Maeonians, if I recall correctly by their flags."

I knew I couldn't leave his guessing unchecked, even if I doubted he would make such a grevious error in things, but I looked anyway to be sure. "Yeah, those are definitely the Ciconian spearmen and Maeonian infantry. Though, after our more recent events, I'm surprised that would be all they're sending out." All three of them looked at me understandingly before Percy offered any last advice I felt like imparting to the demigod campers and Hunters that hadn't yet stationed themselves.

I thought carefully for a few moments, before loudly announcing to the crowd of anxious would-be-warriors. "Your foes are seasoned and hungry men of war, who will not grant any solice on this battlefield you stand now. Beat them back with not just your swords, shields and spears but with your courage, bravery and heart. Bite off more than you can chew, then chew it. Plan much more than you can do, then do it."

A cheering yell of victory burst from the gathered campers before each group's respective leaders took command of their troops. Percy stayed back to properly observe the initial clash of armies and so he could potentially lend assistance to any that were faltering. While it was a bit different than Tajima's more direct leadership style, it was very apparent that the young minor god has seen his share of war. I could easily appreciate his understanding and command of battle, despite the slightly unfamiliar tactics.

_**(Third Person P.O.V.)**_

The two armies wasted no time in greeting each other with a violent opening clamor of blades clashing together. The demigod front line was met viciously by the Ciconian spearmen, neither side giving up any ground to the other yet. The Ciconians were led by an impressive Captain in the famous Euphemus, as he personally engaged a combination of Clarisse and her sibling Dwayne. All the while this was occurring, the Maeonians were trying to flank around on Clarisse's group. This was met with delayed resistance by the Stoll brothers and their swifter group of fighters.

The Trojan forces had slightly larger numbers but due to the demigod skills neither side had any advantage yet. Shortly after the armies embraced each other in the throngs of combat, Percy gave Nico a slight nod. This was the wordless consent to summon a first wave of skeleton soldiers to subdue the enemy. It only took a couple of extended moments before the ground spewed forth the summoned army of undead, ready to do Nico's bidding. "Go deal with the troublesome enemy of ours."

In waves of hundreds the undead soldiers raced towards the front lines, and swinging the early tide of battle toward the campers favor. The Maeonians were pushed back first as the Stoll brothers teamed up to take out two of the officers, who were also counted among the princes of Troy. Travis slew Dryops and Connor dispatched Echephoron with some timeless assistance by a well timed distraction.

Fumio had been right though, as once the additional forces had added themselves and began to turd the tide of battle, a new group appeared from the walls of Troy. "Curses.. it's the Idaeans." Fumio swore just barely loud enough for Percy and Nico to hear. "Do you mean the famed archers from Mt. Ida, who are led by Pandarus?" Fumio just nodded at the question from Thalia, as she wandered over to the three after having finished giving her instructions for the Hunters.

"Pandarus is perhaps the best archer that the Trojans have and he is more than a match for the majority of your Hunters as well as for my Rangers." Fumio replied dejectedly but his eyes held a glint in them as he quickly analyzed his thoughts for an appropriate idea. "If we use the angles from both of our archers to pin them down on both sides, I might be able to deal with Pandarus."

Percy glanced at Thalia who nodded at him before replying herself. "So be it, I can't wait to see which of us is the better skilled." Before Percy could properly respond, Thalia flitted away back to the Hunters and they speedily encroached the battlefield. Fumio sent a runner to deliver his instructions for the Rangers but instead took a central position on the small overlooking hill.

The Idaeans wasted no time in evening the conflict back out, and drawing the fighting to an even stand still yet again. Both sides struggled against each other, but without any significant loss of lives as the fighting peaked over into the afternoon. With a true lack of reserves, the demigods began to grow a bit sluggish against the much older and battle experienced Trojan allies. The Rangers and Hunters both had been slowly advancing upon the Idaean archers when Pandarus took full advantage of the growing weariness along the front lines.

In just a matter of moments the skilled Trojan placed a fatal arrow into the chest of Omar Elias, a son of Demeter. This was met only seconds later by another fatal shot, this time to Malcolm, a son of Athena. Both were the first real casualties for the campers and both had pronounced effects on the overall moral of the two groups in the trenches. Things were looking very disastrous as Pandarus nocked another arrow and let it fly towards the fray of combat, but it was met by a resounding thud from an intercepting arrow that had collided head on with it.

Pandarus glared across the sun light valley to see Fumio smirking and waving his bow teasingly at the man. This had not been the first time these two archery commanders had met within the confines of battle, and neither seemed willing to concede defeat. Fumio's very well placed arrow proved the slight opening for Thalia and Seiji to both unleash a bombardment upon the Idaeans. Pandarus held higher ground with his archers, but this provided a better trajectory for Fumio to show off his skills.

Fumio nocked two arrows simultaneously and fired both with deadly accuracy. The arrows split to the immediate sides of Pandarus, nailing his two main officers, Dolon and Pyraechmus. Fumio began to pick off Idaeans and Ciconians alike with a deadly precision and speed that Percy and Nico were both astonished by. It took only a couple of minutes before Pandarus gave the orders to withdraw, which led to the Ciconians finally pulling back away from the battle as well, ending the tumultuous first day for the demigod forces.

_**(Thalia's P.O.V.)**_

Nico seemed overly annoyed by the loss of his skeleton warriors but the real loss of Omar and Malcolm was felt much more heavily, especially with Annabeth and the other Athena kids. It was getting into the late afternoon when we had finally finished rounding up all the wounded and stragglers and the war council had started once again.

"So tonight we will have a rushed shroud burning, and I think we can spare a day's reprieve for the Athena cabin." Percy offered sympathetically towards Annabeth, who nodded glumly. "We can't really try to endure through many battles like what we have today, it's unfortunately apparent that the Knights are far more skilled in the close quarters of real war." Everyone seemed slightly downcast and most of it had to do with the fact we had only ended our fight with a mere draw. The biggest problem currently was the wounded pride of most of us now.

"All in all, I thought you handled the day rather well." Fumio's second, Seiji offered to the assortment of demigods around the makeshift table. Fumio spoke up right behind his corporal, to help emphasize the point. "Even Tajima struggled with his Elite's on our initial clash with the Trojans. Despite them losing Hector and our loss of Tajima, the sides are still rather evenly matched, we need to tip the balance with some masterful strategy and our best possible heroes taking up the fight."

Fumio was saying that to win, Percy and Nico would need to be more active in the coming battles. I couldn't help but agree with the sentiment. "I also think we need all of our strength to engage the enemy with, and not just one overly skilled archer saving our butts." I looked at Fumio defiantly as he smirked at me, but we both know that in light of our rivalry, I was taken back by his skills with the bow.

The rest of the council was filled with mostly meaningless chatter, about where to position which groups and how to best utilize all of our forces together. As we dismissed to get ready for the funeral pyre's and resting up for tomorrow, I barely had time to catch Annabeth outside the command tent. "I'm sorry about Malcolm." I tried to tell her because despite our recent problems she was still a good friend.

"It seems like I'm losing everyone I cared about lately, and I'm sorry as well." Annabeth stated softly to me, catching me off-guard with the apology. "I do value your friendship, and that seaweed brain's as well. I wasn't really fair to either of you about things, and I guess my pride got a bit in the way of that."

I smiled before giving her a gentle hug. "It's alright Annabeth, but we all need each other right now to survive." She relaxed and I could feel her crying lightly into my shoulder. "I appreciate that, and thanks. Oh, if you don't mind too, I'd rather you didn't mention this to Percy any." I smiled and laughed lightly with her at our inside joke before heading with her towards the pyre.

After all ceremonies had ended and everyone had finished their individual and group mourning, I slipped into my tent to try and get some rest. I hadn't really seen much of Percy tonight and wasn't overly surprised to find him just sitting on the bed in darkness. "Everything okay?" I asked him curiously, sitting down next to him and slipping my arm across his shoulders.

"Yeah, just going over everything in my head." He eyebrows were scrunched together in thought and I knew that all of the battles lately were really building up on him. I thumped his forehead, breaking his intense concentration and gave a sly smile. "What was that for?" He asked me sincerely. "Simple, you're going to over think everything and end up way to stressed to be of much help. I know how you worry about everyone and being in charge and responsible now for all of these young heroes must be a terrible strain."

He dropped his head into his hands and sighed. "I didn't think it would really be this hard. I don't mean the war against the Trojans, but all of the death and everything. Chiron must really have it hard sometimes, having spent centuries training all those heroes who all end up dying in the end." I just stared at Percy, who was stewing in what must have been a lot of hell. I pulled one of his arms out from under his head and almost fell off the bed laughing.

Percy gave me a startled, deer in the headlights look, to which I gave him a loving kiss and smiled. "Enjoy life. There's plenty of time to be dead." He finally flashed that mischievous grin at me and pulled me next to him on the bed. We fell asleep embracing each other and just relishing the closeness for the moment we had.

_**(Adara's P.O.V.)**_

War was definitely a lot harder pill to swallow than was ever advertised at camp while training. This was a completely different kind of fight and emotional struggle then I had ever gone through, it made me have a new found respect for people like Percy, Thalia, Grover, and the others who had braved quests and wars before. While I really hadn't been directly in the combat until the very end of things today, I saw more than my share and hoped this war wouldn't drag on to cause more pain and death. It was with those simple but confounding thoughts that I fell asleep.

_"Adara... I'm so sorry that it has to be this way..." his words hung loosely in the cool morning air. "I love you so much... please forgive me." I saw the last few precious moments I had with Tajima flash in front of me vividly, like I was really reliving it again. My chest swelled with tremendous pain as I thought seeing the man I loved die a second time would be too unbearable, but my dream took an unexpected twist._

_As I watched Tajima's farewell to me and his subsequent exit of our tent, the scene change rapidly. The room was darkly lit and barely visible enough to see more than a few inches in front of my face. I felt completely lost and wasn't truly sure if I had mentally broken down, seeing my own inner darkness in the cold night. _

_A soft, faint voice called out to me from the corners of the void. "Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let the pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take the pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place." _

_The words resounded over and over in the darkness, echoing off the faint light in the large empty room. I knew exactly who the voice belonged to and silently cried as a few tears trickled down my cheeks. I felt so entirely depressed and drained, yet here he was still reassuring me even from death. Repeatedly I kept calling out to him in my dream but the darkness consumed me until at last I was stirred awake by the growing light from the early morning._

My depression hadn't lifted as I quietly got dressed. I felt that if anything, my pain had increased by such a longing dream that I could never really believe in or experience again. In truth, I was very skeptical that my own deep desire to rewind the present had fueled the cryptic dream. It was surely impossible for Tajima to really be talking to me in my dreams, but then I saw the silver letter placed delicately by the edge of my pillow.

I carefully opened the letter, slowly parting the paper until I could hesitantly read it's finely scribbed message. There in bold black print which I knew immediately was Tajima's cursive, was the same words he had told me on the day he confessed his love for me. _Give her two red roses, each with a note. The first note says "For the woman I love" and the second, "For my best friend."_

I knew that there would be no roses, and I felt so lucky there was even a note at all. Then a flicker of hope spread across my entire being, I felt my heart thump with a renewed vigor. I could feel that somehow, Tajima was still alive.

_**(Cassidy's P.O.V.)**_

I had spent the majority of yesterday and the night with Lady Artemis, but I still felt unsure about joining the hunt and abandoning everyone I cared about, especially Chang. Artemis was still trying to reason it all out with me, when Adara rushed into the tent waving a shiny letter. "It's from Tajima... look, look." I craned my neck to read it, noticing the astonishment from Artemis as she saw the note as well before we both had to look away as she left quickly for Olympus.

"That's really great Adara.." I tried convincing myself as I told her, but it seemed our roles were reversed now. She had always been the one hurting as the boy she loved fought endlessly, while I had the less heroic of the twins. Now though, her hope was trying to remake it's appearance while mine was vanishing quickly. She tried to comfort me awkwardly, seeing as we had only recently really gotten along any. "I'm sure things can get better for both of us... when we find Tajima, he can remind Chang of what's important to him..."

She tried to cheer me up for a couple more minutes before Chang strode into the tent. "Oh, you two are together." He said with a cold tone, looking both of us over carefully. "Haven't you done enough damage yet?" Adara almost shouted at Chang, which caused him to take a slight step back before replying viciously. "Not nearly... if she were only as beautiful as you, maybe this wouldn't be such a problem. It's my brother's fault for always taking the best of everything in life!"

Adara simply fumed pure rage at Chang, but her voice was unnervingly calm. "You don't love someone because she is beautiful, she is beautiful because you love her. At least Tajima could understand the things like that, you're simply pathetic." As Adara stormed out of the tent, Lady Artemis and Hestia both arrived in quite an upset fit. I slunk towards the bed and tried to not get in the middle of what I knew was about to be a heavy dose of parenting.

"No man deserves punishment for his thoughts." Chang quickly interjected into the silence, only moments before Hestia waved her hand at his outburst. "Enough of your insolence, son." As soon as Hestia broke Chang's defensive thinking, Artemis jumped into the battle. "You dare to belittle maidens and crush their dreams of happiness. You insult your parents, brother and whole family. If it wasn't for your brother or mother, I would happily kill you here and now." Artemis stopped before she really did execute the boy, as Hestia jumped in at the immediate pause.

"You've terribly shamed me as of late and before you venture any further down the current path you're treading, think about this son. It is better to live your own life no matter the mistakes or errors, than to live as an imitation of somebody else." With that, she turned her back to her remaining son and knelt next to me with a sweet smile. "We need to get Adara for a brief moment, then we can come back."

I was led out by the hand as I blushed as I heard the screaming Artemis unleashed at Chang. It wasn't too hard to find Adara and as soon as she did, she pulled us both close enough to do what she does best. "I remember hearing a saying once or twice, but I absolutely love it. Maybe I was the one who said it originally, he-he." She lightly giggled at the last thought before kissing both of us on the cheeks like a mother would. "Remember girls that no matter how much pain we sometimes have to endure or face, love always begins with a smile, grows with a kiss, and ends with a teardrop."

She hugged us both gently before we all three returned to the tent. The fight between Artemis and Chang, not that it was really any sort of fight other than one-sided, had come to a dramatic finish. We stood to the side of the entrance, as Artemis scoffed at the boy. "There are those who are worthy of being heroes, Chang, but many others are only worthy of clapping as heroes like your brother pass by. Which are you planning on being?"

Chang nearly yelled at her in frustration, but held his tongue and stormed out, scowling at us while he paused to give us his last thoughts. "Do you think it's so easy for me mother? Always compared to your gifted, dead son. How I wish I could die so gallantly, like a fool throwing away everything for a higher cause. Ha... my pain is far worse than you understand, because all I wish to do is die."

Hestia looked a bit distressed by the ordeal as she left myself and Adara with Artemis. "I know that it's unlikely for both of you to, but I still must know if either of you is willing to join my hunt?" Adara shook her head no, waving the silvery letter and blushing slightly. "I can't throw away my hope so easily..." She said with a warm smile, but I knew my answer would be much different.

"Yes, Lady Artemis... please." She nodded and told me what to say, and I knelt before the Goddess, and pledged myself to her. _"I pledge myself to the goddess Artemis. I turn my back on the company of men, accept eternal maidenhood, and join the Hunt."_

She gently lifted me to my feet by my chin and nodded with acceptance. "Yes, I am pleased to have you with me." I felt a different type of aura and glow embrace my body as I realized that I was now immortal, unless I died in combat or failed to uphold my maidenhood. "Go and report to Thalia, and she will see to a new tent for you with your sisters." I bowed politely and Adara offered to show me where Thalia's tent was, as Lady Artemis left our company.

When we finally reached the middle of camp and made our way to Thalia's tent when a half-dressed Percy rushed out of the tent at a full sprint. By half-dressed, I mean that he had on pants but everything was an utter mess. As we entered the tent, Thalia looked bothered by something and Adara was the one to ask her. "Is something the matter? I've never seen Percy so... flustered." Thalia tried to smile, but it didn't quite come out as planned. "I'm not sure if you've heard or not... but our guards reported that Chang has left camp alone, heading west and fully packed."

**A/N: Sorry about the cliffie, hope you all enjoyed the chapter ^_^ Please review, and hopefully I can get another chapter up really soon (I'm on vacation right now, so two weeks of joy for me).**


	11. Wasteland

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews and favorites, and I don't own PJO still. Hope everyone loved the ending twist of the last chapter, and hope you enjoy this one as well. This chapter is especially brought to you by the song "Little Smirk" from Theory of a Deadman, and "Wasteland" by Shinedown.**

**On a side note, everyone please check out the story **_**The Titan's Prisoners**_** by ****TheOracleofDelphi****. I absolutely love her (and the story) so you all need to go check the story out and review hers as well. **

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_**(Thalia's P.O.V.)**_

Percy was rushing out of our tent at an ungodly early morning hour, the Knights on guard duty as Cassidy and Adara both burst in with crimson pasted faces and labored breaths. Adara was the first to break the girls worried expressions first. "Is something the matter? I've never seen Percy so... flustered." She asked me, causing a simple nod yes to her before I explained.

"I'm not sure if you've heard or not... but our guards reported that Chang has left camp alone, heading west and fully packed." Both of their flushed faces turned from the crimson shade of moments earlier to a pale facade. I knew what they wanted to ask but I was also curious as to the feeling that Cassidy was a Hunter now. "Neither of you would have any idea as to how that happened, would you?"

They both shook their heads no in unison. "Did he really leave?" Cassidy started in first. I nodded at her sympathetically but she just huffed in frustration at the sentiments. "He's such a useless jerk." She blurted out before apologizing profusely, to which I just smiled and noticed how her blush crept back across her cute face.

"So I take you that you've joined the Hunt now?" I asked while hoping to seem as friendly as possible for having a rather irritating start to the morning, though it was nothing that any girl was responsible for. Cassidy nodded at my question and I just smiled politely to her. "Why don't you go and talk to Elyssa in the Hunters tents." I said before turning my attention to Adara, but we were all interrupted by a cry from outside the tents. "The Trojans are attacking!"

_**(Reed's P.O.V.)**_

"The Trojans are attacking!" Came the cry one of the sentries stand watch at our camp borders. I quickly tried to check what time it was and noticed that the sun hadn't properly ever crested the horizon yet. _Damn, those jerks are attacking before dawn. _I cursed to myself at the terrible timing of the situation as I hurriedly got dressed and rushed frantically from the tent. The sight that was presented before me nearly floored me onto the rough grass beneath me.

The Mysian and Pelasgian spearman were all combined together and being led by the remnants of the Ciconians, with Euphemus at the command. "By the gods... we might need a miracle to escape this." I cursed to myself lightly, as the gates of Troy opened up further to reveal even more soldiers piling out from within. Taking their places on their lowest wall ledge were the Idaeans led by that blasted Pandarus, but that wasn't all. The Lycian cavalry had also trotted out their full force of roughly 2,000 soldiers as well, and they had brought the Phyrgian cavalry as well.

I caught a guard running by and asked for what the believed enemy numbers were suspect to be. He trembled slightly as he mentally paled while attempting to make a full count. "Sir... we believe the enemy has at least 5,000 men coming our way..." I gulped back my hesitation and told him to immediately rouse all of the Knights without delay. Before he completely turned around ran to carry out his orders, he looked at me sadly. "Sir.. Lord Percy said that Lieutenant Chang has fled the camp, as of just early this morning."

_Great, can it get any worse now. _I cursed mentally but didn't break my focus as I had the guard finish his task. I headed towards the command tent to hopefully bump into Percy, Fumio or somebody else who would have a better idea to handle this unpleasant situation. It took me a few moments to reach the command tent and I was shocked at what I found there. Percy had the majority of the combined officers and lead campers, not quite in full battle armor, but still at the ready. While it wasn't quite nearly up to the standards of our captain, I was thoroughly impressed that he could react quickly enough to gather so much of the forces already.

"Alright everybody, we will use a similar formation as yesterday. The Hunters will take the western plains and the Rangers will take the eastern borders. The demigods will be lead by Nico along with his skeleton forces, and you will maintain the gaps and flanks as best possible. The Knights will be with me, bracing the middle of our forces for the bulk of the spearmen." Everyone nodded solemnly as we all headed towards the battlefield, this was going to be a long day.

_**(Elyssa's P.O.V.)**_

The Knights marched onto the field first, flying a sea green banner amidst their black armor and usual black flags. Thalia had us perched on a small ledge overlooking a good spot of the battle, giving us an optimal place to snipe the enemy with a barrage of arrows. My blood felt like it was going to boil over in anticipation, as the Knights came within short range of the Trojan spearmen. Both forces were sizing each other up and from atop our perch it was sorely obvious that we were devastatingly outnumbered, even here with all our combined forces. Then, I saw from the far corner of the eastern edge what I thought was an arrow being fired, but soon realized it had been multiple arrows.

"Lady Thalia, look at the east." Sure enough, a hail of arrow had been fired from the Knight's Rangers, unleashing an arching black cloud that quickly descended on the incoming horde with an eerie grace. Their targets were the Phrygian cavalry ranks and I was a bit awed by the skill of the boys. Percy and the Knights charged into the throng of the enemy, which caused a terrible clanging of steel and metal that resounded through my head painfully. Thalia gave the signal and we let fly our arrows next, aiming from the regroup cavalry units, striking them with deadly effects.

I had plenty of time for the moment to watch the carnage, as we readied our bows and awaited the next volley. Percy had the Knights tangled up nastily with the combined spearmen, while Nico had the skeletons and the demigods holding back the cavalries from being able to properly flank into the Knights. Over the next hour or so we loosened quite a few volleys worth of arrows, effectively crippling the Trojan cavalry for the time being. Our attention was finally drawn to the gates opening for the first time since that early morning, and the Trojans seemed to be trading out their cavalry for quite few infantry.

_**(Third Person P.O.V.)**_

The gates creaked open once more as the Lycian cavalry pulled back within safety, leaving the remaining Phrygian cavalry still on the plains though. They were swapped out with the remaining Maeonian soldiers, who didn't nearly have such a demanding number but would gain a better advantage against the archers. It took a few moments of regrouping and falling back for the Trojans to adjust and begin to reengage the young heroes.

The Knight Elites bucked back against the new surge of reinforcements and the endless wave of spears and swords. As if simultaneously on cue, Thalia and Fumio both had their archers charge towards the rear of the Trojan battalions. The ranged demigod units, which were being led by Annabeth, took up the vacated ranged cover of the Hunters and Rangers. The Maeonians quickly crumbled beneath the power of the lethal cooperation of the archers, which saw their two commanders drop dead in the fray. The Lieutenant, Mesthles, was slain by Seiji and the Captain, Antiphus, was defeated by Tristen of the Hunters.

The Trojans were losing ground against the strength of the demigod forces, Percy and Nico both dishing out countless death to the crimson tide of enemies. Nico's stygian sword came crashing down on the Pelasgian lieutenant, Pylaeus, as sweat dripped in gobbed amounts from the son of Hades. The Elites of the Knights showed just how powerful they were, even with a new commander, as they played a beautiful dance of carnage upon the Trojan front lines.

A sword swung blindly over Percy's head and he wasted no time in capitalizing on the opening, slaying Hipponous of the Pelasgians. It was just shortly after that Pedasus, Aesepus, and Ennomous of the Mysians were dispatched by Reed, Leon and Ciaran of the Knights. The battle was starting to drag onto into the late afternoon now, the Trojans being pushed back closer to the walls and putting the demigods within range of Pandarus and the Idaeans.

Pandarus saw his best opening and nocked an arrow that whizzed over the plains, aiming for the middle of the Knights. Thalia froze slightly as she watched the arrow zip overhead them and appear to head straight for Percy and Nico. In what seemed to be the last possible moment, a black arrow struck Pandarus' arrow directly from the side and derailed it from it's intended target. This however didn't dissuade the Trojans from their target, as Euphemus hurled his long spear at the arrows intend course, nailing Percy in the right shoulder and knocking him to the ground with a loud thud.

Thalia roared in rage at the events, and from seeing Percy fall in the midst of combat. She quickly unleashed an arrow that struck Euphemus right in the neck, dropping him instantly onto the cool earth. The gate of Troy once again swung up, this time with much more haste as before as the Idaeans gave a relentless barrage of cover for the retreating armies. The Knights and demigods began collecting their dead and wounded, making their own path back to their encampment, carrying an unconscious Percy to the infirmary with many others.

_**(Thalia's P.O.V.)**_

The sun would be setting in just a short while and the plains were turning into their stained blood color as the light started to pale. I rushed through the crowd and past the many injured to the far corner of the infirmary tent, over to where Percy was being attended. "It sure does help being a god now.." He smiled as the golden ichor seeped from his right shoulder. "Our healers say that he'll be all good to go before nightfall, others won't be as lucky I'm afraid though." I whipped around to see Fumio standing there all stoic like.

"Sometimes, you can forget that he's not a mortal anymore. A scare is still a scare, right?" I forced a smile as Percy munched on some ambrosia lightly, listening to Fumio and myself discuss the state of the camp. "So how bad are the casualties exactly?" I asked Fumio with a stern look as Nico walked up behind us to add to the reports. Not exactly a place I would the meeting for how bad the day went and Percy must have noticed that as he sat up out of the bed. "We shouldn't discuss this here, moral is shaky enough." We all nodded in agreement as I helped Percy into the command tent.

It was just the four of us, as Fumio started in first. "We've dealt many crippling blows to the Trojan forces, but we still have yet to encroach on their real ranks yet. We also suffered a good share of casualties from the Knights. We lost another young officer as well, Martyn Paolino." Percy sighed and looked at Nico next. "Uh, well... the Knights absorbed the most damage honestly today. Zack Emerson and Reggie Flanagan, both of Apollo were killed. As was Garret Holford of Dionysus, and Dwayne Lambert of Ares."

Percy nodded sadly as I gently rubbed his injured shoulder and squeezed his hand softly. "Go ahead and get the shrouds prepared for tonight. We can't let ourselves be continuously caught off guard like this, we might have fared better today than before, but this isn't a pace in our favor." Nico and Fumio both left the tent, allowing me to have Percy to myself for the first time today since being so violently awoken for war.

"Let's turn in for the night." I whispered to him softly, kissing his cheek and pulling him out of the tent. We nearly collided with Adara, who had a flustered look on her face as if something were wrong. "Oh.. Thalia, can we talk please?" She looked very worried by something as I nodded and she followed us into our tent.

"What is it that you need, Adara?" I looked at her with curiosity as the young girl fumbled around with the edge of her shirt. "I had a dream yesterday..." She said with a pained expression, making me glance at Percy for a moment with dread. "I dreamed that.. that Tajima was alive.. I think."

I sat back onto the bed in shock, my head dropping into my hands as I tugged at my hair in thought. "That's not really good news." I told the girl as I tried to form the best way to word the bad news. "If Tajima is alive, then that means the Trojans are indeed working for someone, and this whole war here could be just a big distraction." I stated flatly, hating hearing the words as they came out.

Percy rested his hand on my shoulder, smiling at Adara as he reassured the both of us. "Even if this is a big decoy, and things might get worse... we won't lose. Not here or to anyone else. Oh, and it's probably best not to mention this to anybody else." He kept smiling at Adara until she had finally left with a more relaxed look about her. He looked at me kindly, placing a gentle kiss on my lips. "Even if we do have more perils to brave, we will always do it together."

_**(Mystery Girl P.O.V.)**_

The sun was finally setting as I noticed the approaching form of a teenage boy. Usually, my family's farm wasn't used to visitors and it was rarely ones that traveled to us on foot. I couldn't help but gasp slightly at how tired and dead looking the boy appeared, and felt a small twinge of pain for his plight. He had dark brown hair and odd golden colored eyes, even despite the dirt and scrapes along his skin he was strikingly handsome.

"Where am I?" He asked in a half broken voice, through cracked and bleeding lips. "Western Idaho." I replied with a bit of a smirk, this was turning out to be an interesting day for me after all. "Do you have a name? Why are you on foot? You look like you've been through hell, do you want to rest for a little bit? Oh, where are my manners.. my name is Kyrene Bingham, pleasure to meet you." I giggled slightly as I tried to hide the adventure this could bring me.

"Ky...rene... pleasure." The boy said as if the words hurt him. "My name is... Chang."


	12. Farm House Blues

**A/N: Here is the latest chapter, with a lot of extra inspiration from the lovely members at Fanmortals. Hope everybody enjoys, please don't forget to read and review.**

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(Chang's P.O.V.)**_

"Ky...rene... pleasure." The words stumbled out of my mouth with a tremendous pain burning through my chest. "My name is... Chang."

The short girl with sandy blond hair smiled at the dirty youth before slightly bowing and excusing herself from atop the porch. She rushed inside as I was left standing there aloof and only half aware to what was going on. My focus was slightly snapped back into gear as yelling pierced my ears from the deep recesses of the farm house.

"Brock! Get your ass in here already, I want a back rub!" It was definitely a female's voice. She didn't much older than myself and there a strange alluring tinge to her voice. It seemed so far away, despite the halfway screams that permeated from within the door frame. I faintly heard some mumbled whispers before the previous girl, Kyrene, rushed hurriedly back outside to where I was standing on the porch. This time she was accompanied by a boy and girl with her.

The girl had strikingly Asian features but burning hazel colored eyes, she was about medium height as well and her hair was astonished dark like the night. The boy with her was rather unremarkable in my opinion. He had mousy brown hair that seemed to be almost shoulder length and wore a hat that shaded his eyes, as if he were purposefully trying to cover up his face.

"Is this the one, Kyrene?" the boy asked as I nervously gulped from a mixed pang of anticipation and worry.

"Please, Brian, don't do anything to this one. I can tell that he's special."

Brian, so that was his name.

"Go ahead and bring him inside, he might as well meet the Duchess if she'll see him."

As I was being ushered inside the farm house, I couldn't help but take another glance at the dark haired girl with the hazel eyes. As soon as I let my gaze stay a few moments longer than I should have, my line of sight was cut off by the imposing male on the porch.

Brian had stopped directing me inside the house and was clearly standing between myself and the girls. "You had best get inside friend." It was a simple threat but I could tell the olive skinned hand on his shoulder was keeping what could be a rather nasty temper in check. "Yeah, yeah. I get it." I replied curtly, entering through the door frame in which Kyrene led me to an old green couch to sit and wait.

Brian stood leaning against the open door, watching me as the minutes slowly crept by. He at last shifted his weight off the door and was replaced by a small entourage that passed in front of the couch.

The group was just a teen boy and two girls, all of which looked older than me age-wise, though. I visibly paled under the new found attention as I tried to quickly memorized the appearances of my hosts.

The male stood out slightly from the girls. Besides his obviously more muscular build, he had shaggy black hair that hid black eyes. He seemed to be tall but compared to the protective ball of hatred standing near the door, he was just slightly above average.

The first girl had short brown hair that seemed like it was pulled back more times than not, which was matched with dull brown eyes that flared a fanatical passion for life. "Would you two kindly move so I could see the nice little present that was deposited onto our merry little home?"

That was the same voice as before and I knew that it had to be the other girl. This realization made me aware that the black haired male was probably the one that was called Brock. I might have failed in many areas but deductions and analysis weren't one of them. "Brock, Hana, do both of you find our guest so interesting as to not let me even get a small peak?" The pair parted enough for what I assumed was their leader, or at least the girl in charge.

She had a mix of fire red and blond hair, which flowed like irritated sunbursts. Her eyes were a golden color, similar to my own, which only accented her golden tan skin. To say she was breath taking would be a huge understatement, but the moment felt like staring directly into a light bulb for too long. I spent the next few seconds blinking stupidly as she started to speak.

"My little pet says that you're name is Chang. I'm not sure if such a name suits you, I think I like Lance."

I stared blankly in disbelief, slightly shaking my head from side to side as if pleading no. It was at this awkward moment when the overly steroid-enhanced bodyguard, Brian, whispered to the brown haired girl. This caused the most unexpected chain reaction, as the girl made her announcement to the house. "Duchess, it's time to leave already."

This caused the others to all seemingly exhale together before the first spoke.

"Alright, everyone pack up house. We have a new destination. Oh, your coming with us Lance, so don't get too comfortable yet." The girl smiled in a disarming kind of grin before Brock called for her as the group left me sitting alone on the couch momentarily.

"Theia, do we really gotta take a whelp like that? Wouldn't it be much easier to just get rid of him and be done with it?"

I wasn't able to hear the mumbled replies before the last person I was hoping to see stood in the doorway.

"C'mon friend." Brian grinned maliciously towards me. "It seems you might come in handy soon, so make sure you keep pace well. I'd just hate to rough you up any on the way home."

Besides the obvious sarcasm that was dripping from the venomous words, it dawned on me that he might be the lesser of the threats from this group of oddly matched teens.

"Hey, you slow pokes, we don't have all century. Do you always have to try and pick a fight with everything, Brian?" The dark haired asian girl smiled at the much bigger male.

"I gotcha, Kat. Will you let the rest know that I'm just taking a few extra seconds to get acquainted with our new buddy?"

The girl rolled her eyes and followed the others out the front, leaving me with Brian.

_**(Third Person P.O.V.) **_

The Trojan council was in full effect, voices blaring over the evening feast that rested in front of the increasingly empty table. Nearly one-third of the original officers had been killed already, but what was really drawing heavy criticism was the fact that the allies had been taking the brunt of the losses as of late. Thus, the argument kept escalating as both sides were brewing with contempt.

Without Hector the past week things had been growing increasingly stressful in the walled city of Troy. Deiphobus, Paris, and Polydamas were all battling for control of the base Trojan forces while Aeneas had overall control of the Trojan allies, as well as serving acting commander. There had been more and more in-fighting as the Knights opposing them appeared to be calmly recollecting themselves with relative ease.

"So if we send out the majority of our divisions now we could field just slightly over 10,000 men. They have no way to strike back with such a paltry force, so at daybreak that should be what our plan is then," Polydamas offered his insights to the rowdy council, gaining irritated nods and grunts of approval.

"It's settled then, we launch a full scale attack at dawn," Aeneas and the rest of the Trojan council agreed.

The rest of the evening was more or less uneventful, not as many disagreements or fights breaking out and definitely more feasting taking place. The moon rested quietly on the plains as neither army stirred except for the occasional sentries that patrolled both borders.

_**(Percy's P.O.V.) **_

I made sure to awake before daybreak, making plans ahead of time so as to not be caught off guard by an early morning attack like before. As I sat on the edge of the bed putting on my battle armor, I glanced over my shoulder to the sleeping black haired beauty. I was momentarily lost in my thoughts of Thalia, but this was something I mentally had to shake off as I finished preparing and left our tent. Giving a slight morning stretch, I peered through the mish-mash of tents and various flags and banners as I met up with Fumio and Nico.

"All the Knights are accounted for." Fumio added as I got within conversation range.

I didn't doubt they would be and I went over the early morning formations, hoping to grasp a small edge for whatever today held. With the collective Knights and the undead front lines we had in place, our forces were pushing just roughly 3,000. As we finished organizing our ranks accordingly I gave the signals for set out for the edge of the plains.

We settled ourselves, Nico and Fumio on both sides of me, respectively, as the large iron gates of Troy swung open. Their banners and flags swayed in the morning breeze valiantly for our enemies that would come, and a seemingly endless parade of soldiers spewed from the city's mouth. We were inexplicably outnumbered and by no small margin.

I took nervous glances at the Knights' officers but all of them held steely resolves. I exhaled deeply and braced my nerves for a moment before willing myself to make the first strike. "Charge!"

I kept it overly simple, mainly because I couldn't really think of anything else that fit properly for the moment. We all rushed head first into the fray of battle, against what must have been the majority of the Trojan army. At least I surely hoped that it was the mass of their army.

The Trojan archers weren't nearly as skilled as ours but paired with the deadly Idaeans, they had us quickly pinned down and were purposefully over shooting our rear lines. They were trying to pin us down, and were doing a darned good job of it.

While the barrage of arrows kept us from backtracking in search of better footing or good behind us, the cavalries smashed at our flanks. I silently thanked the gods, as the skeletons took a huge chunk of our damage for now.

"Shields to the ready!" Fumio called, as the Knights barely had time to brace against the crushing wave of soldiers bashing us straight in the face.

Our lines started to crumble helplessly and I knew that if we broke here, nothing would prevent this Trojan horde from over-running the camp with short work.

"You must hold the lines!" I shouted as loudly as I could in vain, hoping that some spark of hope would ignite and the Knights would persevere.

I suddenly felt the old urge from the guinea pig in me and wished nothing more but to slink away from the combat.

As if hearing my prayers and coming to our aide, a loud horn blew from the distance by the sloshing waters of the Kootenai River.

Everyone's attention turned to the east in time to see a rush of centaurs, satyrs and cyclopes. At the head of the charge was my little brother, Tyson. I made a very small fist pump in excitement as our non-human reinforcements collided with the Trojan army and wasted no time in forcing them backwards with a power that we lacked.

Aeneas gave the signal for the armies of Troy.

"Everyone fall back! Retreat! Retreat!" I couldn't help but smile with satisfaction and relief.

Tyson rushed over to where I was on the plains as we slowly pulled the Knights back to our encampment.

"Brother!" came the shout as Tyson bounded over at me full speed. I knew he would come crashing into me, but he somehow managed to come to halt at the last moment. This didn't derail the fact that I was still nearly crushed to Hades, as he picked me up and squeezed me in an ungodly bear hug.

"We came just in time, keep big brother from waiting any longer."

His big grin put me at ease as he set me back down on the ground. The conch shell had roused the sleeping demigods and remaining members of our camp, who had all gathered to see the commotion.

Chiron trotted over to greet us at the command tent, along with Grover and Thalia.

"It seems that we made it just in time. I'm glad to see that you're all still holding up in one piece." He reassuringly smiled and I shot an apologetic look towards Thalia, even if she had known I would be leaving extra early to prevent another surprise attack.

We all shared a few laughs to break the initial tension before getting down to explaining everything that had transpired up to now.

Chiron took it all in stride quite well, even with the deaths and Chang's abandonment. After regaling them with our Trojan adventurers, Tyson piped up enthusiastically.

"We got here with special help. Big brother Triton gave us all rides."

I hadn't thought of how they really had made it here, but the news of Triton helping out almost floored me.

"Triton? Really? Is he still here?"

Tyson nodded as I excused myself from the tent, Thalia and Tyson both trailing after me. I made my way to where Triton was supposed to be, waiting for word on the river that everything had worked as Chiron had expected it would. I wasn't sure how this was going to go over really, but I knew I at least had to thank my older half-brother.


	13. The Golden Palace

**A/N: I just want to thank everybody for the support of my story, Second Chances... we broke 100 REVIEWS! Keep the love coming, and thanks a lot guys.

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_**(Percy's P.O.V.)**_

I arrived the foaming shores of the Kootenai River with Thalia and Tyson. The sun hadn't yet broke the horizon, but it would be an hour at most before it settled over the plains before descending into darkness. Thalia and Tyson both waited on the sandy shore of the might river, while I waded out a couple of feet into the sloshing waves.

"Hello, Perseus. You seem to have your gotten into quite a mess with this whole war thing, eh?"

The merman prince of the sea emerged from the rushing river and glided closer towards me, only exposing himself from around the chest up out of the water.

"Triton, is it okay for you to be this far away from the ocean?" It was all I can honestly think to ask but he just nodded.

"No worries, little brother. I can make this journey easily but it does limit some of my powers." There was still a bit of resentment lingering in his voice but I was just glad he lent so much help to notice it.

"Thanks a lot for the help with Tyson and all our reinforcements."

He just nodded, glancing past me towards Thalia as he skeptically looked her over for minute before voiced his thoughts.

"I can't say that I was disappointed about you taking up the hero trainer thing, but it would have been amusing to have you around the sea palace." I wasn't completely caught off-guard by his somewhat hospitality, we had been having slightly friendly conversations since I had became an immortal.

Triton leaned in closely so as not to be heard by the pair behind us on the shore.

"I still think you would be been better off choosing a Nereid or Dryad from around that camp." Triton paused a moment to properly form his thoughts.

"I will admit though, that daughter of Zeus is quite a catch for a human girl."

I blushed and looked back over my shoulder at Thalia, who was talking with Tyson lightly. Her attention snapped in my direction when she noticed both of us looking at her.

"She's really quite amazing, despite your preferences for women," I objectively stated in Thalia's defense, not that I believed she needed it. This turned my attention to the real matter at hand.

"Triton, how come you helped out so much?"

While we might not have hated each other anymore, we certainly hadn't gotten along that well yet either.

"Simple. Father asked me to bring Tyson and the cyclopes, and to just make sure everything was okay here. I might not have a love for humans, but I'm stuck with you for eternity. Least I could do was try to lend a little help, but now I've got to be getting back."

I nodded and muttered a light thanks as he sunk back into the water and shot off through the river like a torpedo.

I turned around to Thalia and Tyson and smiled sheepishly.

"Well, let's head back before dinner starts."

All the way back, Tyson talked about getting to travel with all of the big ponies and how the little goats kept spooking the Cyclopes forces. It was all quite amusing and just good to be near my brother again, but we eventually had to part ways so Thalia and I could head into our tent to rest.

"So, you think I'm quite amazing, do you?"

I stopped dead in my tracks and just blushed as she threw a pillow that thumped me in the face.

"Were you using Tyson to listen in on our conversation?" I asked her suspiciously, but there wasn't any malice behind my voice.

She tried to pout at my question but her expression gave way to a smile quickly.

"Who, me? I would never listen in on what you two oh-so-best-friends had to talk about. It's not like I knew that he feels relieved that your not trying to challenge him for power under the sea."

I laughed and tackled her onto the bed, planting a soft kiss atop her lips, which caused a small make-out session before we both lay down.

"I do mean it you know, about you being amazing and all."

I could almost feel her roll her eyes beside me.

"You're such a girl sometimes, I swear Percy."

With that, she hit me in face with her pillow and we went to sleep.

_**(Chang's P.O.V.)**_

We had traveled for an endless array of hours further west, and I was well aware of when we crossed into northern California. I would be lying if I said that my experience was pleasant really.

The apparent leader, the lovely fire-sparking redhead, who had only been referred to as 'the Duchess' in my few times around her, had left me in the oh-so-charming company of Brian. From I what I was able to properly discern, Brian was no more than a Great Dane on a short leash, which unfortunately happened to be directed at me.

It was hard to get an exact estimate of the overall group, but I was fairly sure that it was just the six of them traveling. My gut told me that they were far too organized and thoughtful to be just a group of five wander teens and a man-mountain. From the basic structure of how they addressed each other, besides the spark-plug leader, the pair Brock and Hana seemed to roost atop the nest.

Brock had a small flair of insanity behind his eyes and mannerisms, but he was built like a tree trunk or maybe a bulldozer.

This means that both the males must be overfed steroids on a regular basis. I mentally cursed to myself, trying to take notice of the rest of the group. The only person that had yet to really catch my attention any was the girl Hana, but that was mainly due to the fact she had yet to even stand within shouting distance of me really. The only two times I had caught sight of her, she was talking with either Brock or Brian, but in terms of importance she seemed second only to the first.

Wherever our destination, we were going there fast and in a sort of rush. We had been traveling the majority of the night and were stopping to pause for a short rest and I thanked anyone listening for the fact I wasn't being guarded this time. It was at this moment when I had my first encounter with Hana. Compared to the others so far, she seemed the most ordinary, except for her eyes, that is. The most unnerving brown eyes that seemed to spark with an unusual energy all their own, you just couldn't help but stare into them. It reminded me of watching a meteor shower, or gazing up to wish on a falling star on a moonless night.

"Are you going to eat, or would you rather starve yourself?" she snapped me back to reality, the bark and command in her voice struck me as alarming.

"You stupid boys are all the same, getting lost in one ridiculous daydream or another." She left the plate of food, but before completely turning to walk away she hesitated and smirked a dangerously evil grin.

"Just something to think on, but we're well aware of who you are."

I felt dumbstruck and my face surely showed it, as I heard faint snickering from outside of the doorway.

I ate without really paying attention where we had stopped exactly. It was rather hard to know the exact location as I hadn't been allowed to do much sight seeing as of yet, but I was aware that we were near a rather impressive mountain.

"Mount Shasta," a voice bellowed beside me.

"Quite a nice view isn't it? Make sure to eat up, we'll be climbing her before you know it." I dared to take a glance at who was next to me talking, but only caught the sight of them as they walked away, it was Brock.

"Kyrene!" The shrill, piercing shriek broke through the cool morning air. I heard approaching, heavy footsteps and saw the redheaded girl stop and glare at me. "Lance! Have you see that stupid girl around?"

I shook my head no, which was obviously the wrong response.

"You're so useless! Ugh! Can't you do anything right?" I nearly expected her to throw a fit right there, but instead she stomped off in a huff still shouting.

"Kyrene!"

I suspect that the misfit crew was trying to take a rest, and the blond girl who had originally greeted me was expected to take a shift as guard like when I met her just hours ago.

My thoughts were once again interrupted violently as Brian sat down next to me. I was patted rather forcefully on the back as he cracked a smile and tousled his hair for a moment with his free hand.

"Well friend, you should try and get a little rest yourself. Gonna be a big day in the evening, and it would be horribly worse for you if you didn't heed a little advice."

I gulped hard and nodded, not fully aware of how I tired I was in my sleep deprived state.

It didn't take me long for rest to wash over me, but it seemed just as quickly that I was being stirred awake once again.

"C'mon pup, time to get a move on."

I was staring into bright hazel eyes and a cute Asian face. As a slowly spreading smile started to form, I was viciously slapped into consciousness.

The trudge up Mount Shasta wasn't nearly take as long as I thought it would, but it was still painfully slow. Especially considering the fact the group of girls had been whispering the whole way up the trail.

"Home at last," came the relieved cry from the Duchess.

"Brian, go and secure the entrance."

I suspiciously watched as Brian slipped on a pair of black, fingerless gloves and proceeded up the path further. Everyone stood in silence for a couple of minutes, before Hana spoke up first.

"Theia, do you think it's safe? I mean, we haven't been back home in quite some time, maybe he shouldn't have gone up alone."

Some of the others voiced a similar agreement but it was put down just as quickly by the leader.

"So you think my judgment is faulty now, Hana? Perhaps you would like to go and make sure that he's safe, personally?"

That effectively ended the topic, and it was only moments after that in which Brian limped back into view.

Kat rushed over as he got near the group.

"Are you alright?"

I could see the cracked smile that he gave everyone, as he leaned down and whispered the short Asian girl something inaudible.

His shirt was nearly ripped to pieces and there looked to be many deep scratches across his chest and arms.

"Maybe we stayed away too long," were his only comments regarding what took place at our destination.

I noticed an influx of other teens, presumably having come from the camp, but attention was quickly brought back to Brian and Kat. As he turned to lead the way back up the trail, the sizable gash running up his entire left leg became evident. It surely explained the limp and made me question what had been waiting atop at the base. A flood of thoughts rushed to mind but those were just as swiftly snuffed out as we arrived.

The gates were supported by two large golden pillars and the more I studied the surroundings, the more I noticed the similarities between the large enclosure and many Greek temples. The striking contrast was that the entire mountain-temple was completely golden. I was a little surprised at how big the golden palace floor stretched out into the mountainside.

All of the teens took up varying spots and corners, dividing into pairs and groups that varied rather wildly around the temple. I was led to a smaller corner near the back of the base, noticing how the mountain formed a deeper path of small corridors for what I could only guess were living quarters. I was growing more amazed at the mountain-temple by the moment. Resting on some makeshift blankets and pillows, I slightly dozed off again for a short while.

_**(Kyrene's P.O.V.)**_

Everyone was gathering in the throne room at the back of the mountain palace.

From the entrance and gates at the mouth of the hidden path along the mountain, you would find yourself in a large central chamber. Following a snake-like corridor, you encounter multiple octopi-like paths that each lead to private chambers. Ignoring those would take you two a fork; the left path leading towards the throne room, while the right path leads to the garden.

I know it seems odd to have a garden inside of a mountain, but it has its own hot springs and small pool as well. It was a nice relaxing or thinking spot to get away from everything else.

I was arriving at the throne room when I had to stop and catch my breath at the room's entrance. To say the thrones were impressive might be cliche, but might not have done proper justice either.

The twelve thrones were situated like sections of a clock, but the majority of the thrones each had an animal design that represented who belonged there. At the head, where the twelve hour would be, was the largest throne out of the whole group. It had a backing that reached all the way up to ceiling, acting like giant pillar of support. This was the throne that belonged to the young Duchess, Theia.

The first throne clockwise, in the one o'clock position, belonged to Cassie. It's backing was far less ornate and was one of the smaller sized thrones. A shining dragon head crested over the top of the throne, with burning emerald eyes.

The next was in the two position, and belonged to Kat. The top of her throne was the head of a serval cat, being of a medium overall size but maintaining a uniquely feline shape.

The third throne from the top was for Sam. It was a simple, plain throne that had nothing outstanding about it at all, which made it stand out like the others.

The fourth throne belonged to Artyom, and was beautifully entwined with a Phoenix.

The fifth throne belonged to Brian, and sprouted a black Griffin from the top and sides, making the only throne with a significant color besides gold, as it had wings that wrapped around the sides like arm rests and the Griffin head peaking over the top.

The bottom throne, in the sixth position, was home to Brock. His throne was part of a unique pair along with Hana, who was seated in to the immediate right of Theia at the eleventh position. Both thrones were designed with ordinary house cats, with soft cushioned seats and arm rests.

The seventh seat belonged to Jace, who had a mouse type of theme to his throne. Throne eight was for Trevor, and was wrapped around it by a snakelike body that started from the base and rose all the way to the very tips.

The ninth throne belonged to Amara and it seemed to emanate an air current like a gentle breeze by itself, other than that it was a rather simple design.

The last throne, the tenth was belonged by Stella. It was carved with ocean-like waves and had a early morning smell like the sea.

Each of the twelve stood before their thrones, awaiting an event that I wasn't fully aware of yet.

I stood back with the other females, who were like me, as Theia smiled devilishly and grabbed a handful of something golden and the ceremony began.

"Let's start this off from the top: with me."

Theia beamed proudly as she pulled out golden dog-tags that kept all of her basic information engraved on them, and slipped them around her neck. She called the first person from the group, going in throne order to maintain simplicity.

"Cassandra Wintra," Theia called with an extra slight squeal to her voice, as the 16 year old girl with short black hair and light brown eyes grabbed her golden dog-tags.

"Remember that when you pull them off your neck, it'll turn into your weapon. All you need to do to turn it back, is to will it back into the dog-tags," Theia said to the whole group as Cassie nodded and smiled.

"Kathryn Rothe."

The 17 year old Asian girl locked eyes with Theia and I almost swore I could see sparks of tension and dislike between them. "Splendid."

Kat kept glaring at Theia as she took her tags from her and went back by her throne.

"Sam Vitiello," was the announcement for the next girl, another 17 year old with red hair and hazel eyes. She was one of the shorter girls, similar to Kat, but just a hair taller, and took her tags with a smile and the politeness she tried to always exhibit.

"Cody Pineiro," Theia said as a 16 year old boy, who was above average in height, and had dark auburn hair with a natural black streak in it with hazel eyes took his tags and smiled excitedly.

"It's Artyom, you know.. and thanks a lot.. this is awesome!" he exclaimed, and kept smiling as he studying the dog-tags closely.

"Brian Barrick,"

Theia almost chirped as she smiled at the largest and oldest in our group. The 19 year old casually smirked as he was handed his dog-tags, but the room nervously watched as he limped back to his spot before.

"Brock Lattimer."

The 18 year old male walked straight up and wasted no time in getting the tags, but slightly yawned as he walked back from Theia. "My bad.. it's been a long day, hopefully we can wrap this up sooner than later too."

He smiled apologetically to the Duchess, who just kept going on without pause.

"Jace Calder."

The tall, pale skinned 17 year old with dark hair and bright blue eyes received his tags and promptly hurried back without saying a word.

"Trevor Safford," Theia said softly, giving a playful wink at the 15 year old boy. He was definitely the shortest out of all five of the males, standing maybe at around 5'10, and he had brown hair that reached down to his neck with teal colored eyes.

"Thanks doll," he said, returning her wink before adding.

"Maybe you should skip ahead some, this is getting a bit dull."

Sighing slightly, Theia went ahead and announced the final three girls together.

"Amara Mortensen, Stella Nordquist, and Hana Corbett."

All three girls rushed her at once, just in a leisurely type of walking pace.

Amara was the youngest of the twelve, being just 14 and curly brown hairs and brown eyes. Her hair was often times kept in cute pigtails.

Stella was around 15 and she had black hair with a very light tinge of green, and brownish-black eyes.

Hana was 16, and the last to grab their dog-tags, and upon doing so was the first to turn them into her weapons: A longbow and an odd looking sword.

"What kind of sword is that?" Artyom asked curiously towards her.

"Oh, this is my Flamberge," Hana stated coolly, but I couldn't help snicker along with some others at the next thought from Artyom.

"Uh... your flame burger?"

Hana looked taken back for a moment.

"Ugh.. what kind of Knight doesn't know what a Flamberge is?"

Artyom started to laugh as he smiled sheepishly.

"This one?"

Hana scoffed at the remark and shut off the conversation with an effective "whatever."

"Alright, alright. The last thing to mention, I guess.. would be that if you were to die in battle, your tags would revert back to tags instantly. Also, the only person who can activate them is you, or if you share a special bond with anyone it might work, but I'm not too sure about that part."

Everyone took the new information with a grain of salt and all nodded understandingly.

"Very well then, we're all concluded so feel free to relax or rest. Dismissed."

I heard a few grumblings but I knew that because of how late it was now getting that rest would be a precious commodity soon. I wound my way down to the large bedroom type of chamber that I shared with many other girls and laid down tiredly on my bedroll and quickly wasted no time falling asleep.


	14. Reinforcements

**A/N: Sorry all for the slightly longer delay than usual, work/life has been kicking my tail lately but hopefully this chapter more than makes up for it. Love you all, especially my Berry-Berry (you know who you are hehe)

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_**(Jace's P.O.V.)**_

"Argh! You stupid hag!" Kat screamed from one of the back corridors.

"Now, I'm sure she doesn't really mean that. Do you? You're only frustrated, isn't that right?" Brian tried to mediate much to the amusment of the majority of the court present.

Brock was trying to not laugh, which was causing somewhat of a rippling effect among a few others.

"Did she just call me a hag?" Theia's eyes seemed to be catching fire as he glared at Hana with a bugged out sort of expression.

"Well, you're both a bit on edge lately.." Hana was unsuccessfully trying to negotiate Theia's mood back to earth when Kat fired a new insult of rage.

"Stay out of this, you creepy cat-lady."

Hana stood there in shocked amazement at the flared outburst aimed at her attempt of assistance.

"I'll show you cat-lady! I'll make it so you're a permanent widow, with cats as the only company for eternity!"

The small group in the meeting room consisted of Theia, Kat, Hana, Brock, Brian, Artyom and myself. All three girls were in a heated discussion over the latest mission Theia had devised. Poor Brian looked absolutely stunned as he braced against the wall.

"Permanent... widow..." were all he could seem to stumble out from his lips.

"Oh really, the death will only hurt for a moment." Theia said with a eerily disarming grin, that both screamed sadistic and seductress.

"Why do I have to be punished for her bad mouth?"

Brian's mouth clamped back shut as Kat shot him an equally murderous glare.

"Pick a side, you idget!" Kat shrieked the poor tan skinned behemoth, causing him to visibly sigh and throw up both hands as if giving up.

"Kathryn, please. Enough."

Brian stepped in front of the girl, his partner, trying to hold back either side from killing one another.

"Only because I like you, and you're a bit useful, I won't throw anybody from the mountain cliffs today." Theia gave a slight wink to Brian as she said this, causing Kat to stomp her foot in frustration at the statement and squeak out a stiffled yell, as Brian clamped a hand over her mouth in time.

"Alright then... here is how things are going to work." Theia was cut off as Brian yelped, holding a bloody hand from around the thumb.

"You freakin' bit me!" Brian's curses were cut off by Hana who gently gripped Kat by the shoulders.

"You really should stop, this has gone far enough between both of you." Hana was trying to settle down the entire situation as Brock made a small gesture of help.

"As amusing as this all really is, we can't waste to much time trying to kill each other."

Hana kept Kat near the far side of the room with Artyom and myself, as Theia just smirked proudly and delivered the message that was so important and was causing such a fuss.

"Brian, you need to lead a small group to go claim our prize. The group has already been decided upon as well. Artyom, Jace and Sam will accompany you."

This caused a final scream of horror from Kat, no doubt what the initial fight had been about.

"You aren't going to let him head out without me!"

Theia laughed like an evil queen with a diabolical plan being set in motion.

"Are you jealous that you have to take a back seat? Too bad, you don't fit into the plans for this and much as it pains me to watch you burn in such a rage.. well, it makes me so happy."

Everyone in the room looked back and forth between the two girls, waiting to see who would strike next.

"Honestly, I don't like you. I so wish I could just strangle you and be done with it but since I can't, this is the next best alternative. I can't understand what he sees in you, so this is my way of giving you time apart." Theia pronounced smugly to Kat before scanning the room for any objections.

Kat turned to walk out of the room, briefly stopping to address Brian before he prepared to leave.

"Just humor her. I'll be here waiting for you when you get back."

Brian tried to walk to catch up with Kat, but she shrugged him off and kept going. Most the others slowly trickled back to their own sections, but Hana and Brian stayed behind with Theia.

I went and got my gear together and after a couple minutes of preparing heading back through the winding corridors. I stopped as I happened to overhear Kat, Cassie and Brian all quietly arguing.

"I try to stay calm, I really do, but she just really upsets me. She's nothing but a shiny, blithering idget." Kat said as I rested against the wall to listen in.

"Please, can you promise me that you'll try and behave until I get back?"

Brian's voice sounded slightly cracked and strained as Cassie piped in her advice.

"Maybe I can help keeping you company so you don't get overly lonely or anything. Artyom is leaving too, so maybe us spending extra time together will help with the worrying some."

The room seemed overly silent for a few moments, causing me to peak around the wall to see Artyom whispering to Cassie in the back corner and Brian planting a kiss on Kat's forehead.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure we get back before you know it."

Kat started to laugh at the remark, as she added her own.

"Worry? Me? You only screw up every single effing plan you get your hands on. Nope, I'm not worried at all."

They both laughed as I heard them starting down my direction, making me quickly have to duck down the next corridor and literally run into Sam.

"There you are," Artyom called as he grinned at the both of us, sprawled out on the floor from out collision.

"It's no time to be lying around, we've got work to do."

I got up and dusted myself off as the four of us walked and talked.

"The idea is simple enough, we just introduce ourselves with the proper parentage," Brian announced as if it were the easiest task in the world.

"Artyom is a son of Apollo; Sam is a daughter of Demeter; Jace is a son of Hermes."

There was a simple thought that crossed my mind that I couldn't hold back.

"Brian, what of your parent?" He just cocked his head slightly and smiled. "Don't worry 'bout that trifle, I've got it covered."

He paused as we reached the palace gates.

"It seems our rides have arrived, what impeccable timing."

He motioned for us to follow, but Artyom caught my sleeve first.

"You better start coming up with a backup plan. Kronos knows this'll go horribly wrong."

_**(Thalia's P.O.V.)**_

There was no early morning attack with the rising sun today, as I creaked out of bed and glanced at the exhausted Percy next to me. He looked so peaceful but he was taking a physical and emotional buildup lately and I knew that an extra rest would benefit him.

After getting dressed I stepped outside into the crisp northern air, enjoying the taste and smell that I was so used to from mornings on the hunt. I trudged over to the meeting tent where I was greeted by Tyson, Nico, Chiron, Fumio, Reed, Annabeth and Clarisse.

"Wow, seems we got a full party today." I said with a smile as everyone seemed in the best moods since we had arrived, not that I could blame them.

Ever since we reached Troy, nothing has really gone in our favor and last night was a such a pleasant and tide-turning surprise.

"This is what we're still up against." Fumio started in once all the pleasantries had been dealt with. "Besides the Trojans, we still have to face the Dardans which are led by Aeneas. Aside from them, the only real threat left is the Lycians and their cavalry. They are hopefully licking their wounds from our reinforcements arriving and I think now would be the best time to make a real attack on the city."

His tactical knowledge was very good, which just made me glare from across the table at him. I didn't hate him at all, but this was a more of a rivalry than anything else with Fumio.

Annabeth had a slight alteration to the plan that she wanted to point out.

"I think it would be best to show them our brute force. The undead, cyclopes, centaurs and satyrs should be our main attacking force."

Chiron just nodded as she kept going on with her idea.

"They are much fresher and I think it would serve much better for the Trojans to see how imposing they can be. They've surely gotten used to how the Knights and ourselves fight by now. Mixing it up would be in our benefit."

I knew how much pressure and stress had been on the Knights since before we even arrived and if they were are exhausted as Percy, then they truly needed a slight pause.

"I will lend archery support with the Hunters, along with the demigods." I looked directly at Fumio and Reed before adding. "You need to rest the Knights, we can't keep pooling everything we have into such large attacks. We are still sorely outnumbered here, something I know Percy would think through."

We finally all agreed on the tactics and formations as Percy stumbled half-asleep into the command tent. This caused a few snickers, both from his still bedtime appearance and the horrible mess he looked.

"Percy, you should get back to sleep and rest." I grabbed his shoulders, making him look at me with bleary eyes.

"There is more fighting to do." He slurred out through cracked and bloodied lips.

I apologized to the makeshift council and swatted Percy on the butt, ushering him back out of the tent.

"I'm putting you back to bed, whether you like it or not." I scolded him in a playful tone as I kept prodding his backside to get him going in the path I needed.

As he hesitated to walk back into our tent, I gave him a gentle zap of electricity to shoot him to the bed in a rush.

"I'm going, I'm going." He pleaded at me, rubbing his lower back vainly as he crawled back into bed.

"I don't wanna hear that you were up and about until at least lunchtime." I warned him as I walked out, heading to gather the Hunters.

_**(Cassidy's P.O.V.)**_

Thalia was having us, the Hunters, hold back along with the majority of the demigod campers for archery support. Tyson was leading the cyclopes and skeleton forces alongside Chiron with the centaurs. This was the most numbers we had since arriving and our current group was lacking the full force of the Knights and the more warlike cabins, such as Ares. We had all taken our positions and quietly awaited for any sign of life from within Troy, which proved to end up being quite a boring wait.

After waiting for what seemed to take all day but was close to a few hours at most, our poured a small contingent of Trojan forces. The Pelasgians came out first, followed by the Lycians and the Idaeans. It wasn't a very large force but they were highly skilled and we had barely inflicted real harm to those forces still. The two armies began to clash in their usual violent dance but the tide of battle was easily on our side from the start.

I stood amazed at the ease with which the cyclopes and centaurs decimated the remaining Pelasgians and battered away on the formidable Lycian cavalry. We were once again driving back the Trojan horde with relative ease. At a slow and methodical pace, much to Chiron's liking, our army pushed the Trojans back closer to their walls. The losses kept piling up against them as the sun toiled higher into the sky and began it's luminous descent into the dusk.

It was at this moment, the Trojans perceived darkest hour in our brief battles that a horn blasted from both the north and east. I saw Thalia slightly pale as she silently cursed to herself.

"Brace yourselves, Hunters, the reinforcements are coming."

I knew from her statement who it was, recalling on my memories of the Iliad. The Trojan reinforcements had to be the Aethiopians and the Thracians, two very large sized armies by themselves.

The two assaulting waves comprised what had to be around 10,000 soldiers as the smashed our forces like the waves breaking against the shore. Initially the skeletons took the brunt of the first wave, but this was quickly followed as some centaurs and cyclopes took the second wave and buckled.

Having spent the majority of the day waiting and then fighting, a very large batch of fresh troops was enough to drive back our forces at a rather quick pace. With the amount of men that could be thrown at our army in seemingly endless attack waves, Tyson and his brothers were driven further away from the walls of Troy with each passing moment.

"Demigods, incoming!" Thalia shouted towards Tyson and Nico, who both glance back in time to see four ragged looking teens approaching from the west.

Nico had rushed over to where we were, the demigods with him trailing behind by a small distance, as he asked as he got near.

"Is it just me, or is there a storm following them."

We all were staring at the intruders and the dark gray clouds that seemed to be following them, and by all I mean us and the armies of Troy. There was a red headed girl and two boys both with darker colored hair, though one seemed to have hair more reddish in color than the other. Then I saw the much larger boy behind the three with his arms stretched out wide as if he were holding something back.

"Is he.. is he holding back the clouds?" Nico said in a mixture of amazement and confusion.

Chiron had clopped up nearby Nico and Thalia, watching the foursome intently. The girl was carrying a spear, while the pale boy had a bow with an arrow ready to fire and the other boy in front had a dagger leisurely held in his right hand.

My attention was drawn suddenly to the boy in back as he swung his arms forward, making his hands meet together in a thunderous clapping sound. Moments later a tremendous gust of wind swept over the plains and threatened to sweep many of us off our feet.

"Archers.. fire!" Pandarus screeched after the silencing calm that followed the odd wind trick the newcomers employed.

I watched as a large volley of arrows started to descend on the four, but once again the big one in the back clapped his hands together and a blast of wind hit the volley, dropping the arrows harmlessly into the earth.

"Di immortales." Thalia cursed rather loudly as we just stared in a bit of shock, watching the group walk into the enemy fray.

The boy with the dagger appeared to catch fire as he viciously sliced through the Trojan allies, carving a path of melted bodies. The male archer started firing off countless arrows, dropping the enemy like helpless flies. He had a skill and precision that would put some of our best Hunters to the test. The girl was next and she used her spear like a beautiful dance of death, wasting little movement as she dispatched her opponents with never more than two blows. The wind clapping boy had finally drawn a Japanese style sword, a Kodashi, if memory served me correctly. He effortlessly cut his way through dozens of soldiers, each of the four were incredibly impressive and terrifying at the same time.

"Prepare the first volley!" It was Lieutenant Han calling from the far side of our forces.

His announcement snapped the majority of our gawking army back to reality, back to our battle.

"Hunters, prepare to fire." Thalia snapped with a new burning desire to end the struggle with the former dead.

"Fall back! Return inside the walls!" Pandarus began calling out orders as the army of Troy began a full scale retreat at the newest swing in the battle's tide, which was starting to play out like a seesaw struggle.

Before Pandarus could make his own escape back to the high walled safety of Troy an arrow nicked his shoulder, causing him to scowl at the pale archer. This was all the opportunity Thalia needed though, as the distraction allowed her to embed her arrow right into Pandarus's head. He fell to the ground limply, which started a panic of the men around him and more hasty retreat from the Trojans.

_**(Percy's P.O.V.)**_

I was a bit of a stressful afternoon, having to watch from the hilltop of our camp at the ongoing skirmishes on the plains stretched out in front of me. I had gone back to await the others in our command tent, after seeing the Trojans turn tail upon Pandarus's death. Thalia, Tyson and the others finally arrived at the tent, bringing with them a small group of new arrivals.

Thalia went over brief introductions of the three newcomers to everyone present. Jace, the pale boy with dark brown hair and proclaimed son of Hermes. Artyom, the auburn haired boy and proclaimed son of Apollo. Sam, the only girl who had red hair and was a good half a foot shorter than both boys, who was a proclaimed daughter of Demeter.

Chiron looked uncomfortable as the three introduced themselves as the teens finished introducing themselves, and he asked a puzzling question to them in turn.

"If I'm not mistaken, there was a much larger and older boy with you. What happened to your companion?"

The three seemed slightly nervous at the inquiry but the one called Jace smiled sheepishly and answered.

"He doesn't like big groups or introductions, so he went to go walk to the river and think. He's not very fond of war or battle much."

Chiron nodded in understanding but didn't completely seem to buy the story, though he didn't voice any further concerns. I took this opportunity to congratulate everyone.

"In light of the additional forces the Trojans gained, we still managed to deal a heavy blow once again to them. The loss of Pandarus is a great victory and bring us one step closer to their defeat, sooner rather than later."

I paused slightly, glancing around the room at the new trio before continuing.

"I also appreciate you're help a great deal and I'm sure everyone here would agree that we would love to have your further support in the battles to come. Nico can show you to tents where you can stay at for the time being."

This gesture earned me a hateful glare from my younger cousin, but I shrugged it off as our group started to disperse.

Chiron called for Thalia and myself to hang back after everyone else had cleared out, the two of them sharing troubled glances.

"What's up you two? Is something the matter?"

Chiron cleared his throat and spoke very softly as I felt Thalia's hand slip into mine lightly. "Yes, there actually is, Percy. I'm fairly confident that the group leader, the one absent from our little meeting, is the son of a Titan."

I could feel the blood draining out of my face as I froze like a statue.

"Do you mean, as in Demititan?" I asked, fearing what the answer would be.

Thalia made me turn and look into her eyes, as she slightly gulped before forcing a smile.

"Chiron thinks that all four of them might be Demititans. There is no way to confirm it yet but the way Artyom and the other, who they said was called Brian fight, it's almost certain those two are Demititans."

I wasn't exactly sure if this news would be good or bad for us in the long run. I mean, Zoe and Calypso both were children of Titans and they weren't evil or anything. I still sighed as Chiron ushered Thalia and me to get some rest, it was getting pretty late by now after all. With those discomforting thoughts, we both agreed and ended the rather nerve racking day.


	15. Trials and Truth

**A/N: Sorry for the longer delay than usual, had some family things to deal with lately that's kept me quite occupied. Thanks for hanging in there and hopefully the next chapter won't take so long... Also, look for an upcoming co-written story from myself and **_**Orochi-Ne**_**. As usual, don't forget to read and review, thanks.**

_**(Brian's P.O.V.)**_

I personally hated sneaking around at night, but I wasn't really left with much of a choice. Jace, Sam and Artyom were making nice with the demigods while I pretended to be exploring. Well, technically I was out exploring, but I wasn't just aimlessly wandering around the camp. I had to carry out of the second part of our small mission, and it required a rather significant distraction from the others.

I finally found what I had been so discreetly looking for; a nice-sized clearing on the downward slope of the hill south of the camp. Before I took my venture from the shade of tents and trees, I caught wind of a rather familiar scent. This was uniquely different from the stench of the demigod camp, but it still held its own fragrance of power. My thoughts were scattered further south with the evening breeze as a young girl called out to me from one of the nearby tents.

"Excuse me, but what are you up to at this hour?"

I mentally blanched for a second as I carefully looked over my shoulder in her direction and motioned for the company. The girl had dark hair and from the few lit torches that were about, it seemed to be jet black in color.

"I couldn't really sleep with all this war and everything," I tried to say politely, flashing a smile that didn't quite have the effect I wanted on her in the darkness.

"I know the feeling. Like maybe that you don't quite belong here."

Hearing this, I spun around on my heel to properly face her. She was about fifteen, and as she stepped out of the dim light her body seemed to illuminate the night, as if she glowed just from the darkness. That's when it dawned on me that this girl was like us.

"What if I told you that your immortal parent wasn't a Greek god?" I couldn't help but beam proudly at the girl as she scrunched her brow at me, slowly following me down the hill's slope as I carefully backed up more and more.

"If I'm not a demigod, what would I be?" The look of confusion strained against her features, which quickly gave way to frustration before a slight look of relief.

"What if the Titans also had children in this age?" I kept smiling as I made a small demonstration with the winds. I knew that I had her full attention as she stared in slight amazement.

"So, you mean that you're not a son of Zeus or anything like that?" This caused me to laugh almost too loudly than I would have liked.

"My parent is Lelantos, the Titan of the air and winds." She gave a small nod in understanding as I kindly reached a hand to her in friendship. "There are many more like myself that I can take you too. You don't need to feel neglected by foolish gods who haven't even taken the time to figure out who you even are."

"More…like yourself," came the whisper of a repeat before she restated the initial line of inquiry. "So why are you out this late again?"

Running a hand through my thick brown hair, I double checked our surroundings before replying. "I have to uncover a potential solution to a few problems that we've been having, and then pay a special visit to some acquaintances."

"Can I do anything to help?" she asked considerately but with a sense of naivety. I shook my head no, but I maintained the playful, overly relaxed smile.

"I came here with three friends. If you know of any others that are in your position, then go and find my companions before the sun rises. They will take care of the rest." Without letting the smile disappear, I motioned for the girl to start heading towards Jace and the others.

It was only at the last second when I remembered to catch her name. "What do they call you?"

She stopped and hesitated for a brief second. "Alexis. My name is Alexis Forster."

"Thanks. I'm Brian Barrick. It's been a pleasure meeting you, Alexis." I waited until she had vanished back into the thick of camp and tents atop the hillside, before I put my attention back into my true task.

Perhaps an hour had passed at the most when I finished. I slung a large, limp body across my shoulders in a fireman's carry and trudged towards the river.

_**(Reed's P.O.V.)**_

We stood at the edge of the valley, just a stone's throw from the mixed demigod camp. The Trojans had become much more uncoordinated and very erratic since Hector's death, which was indeed in our favor. The sun still had a good bit before first light and with the lack of a moon out tonight, vision was proving much harsher than usual.

The wind had seemingly picked up sometime in the night and sent chills through our sentry. Everything had been rather boring and uneventful except the one time shortly after the winds had increased when the gates of Troy had slightly opened for a few minutes and then shut closed tightly. It was a bit of an odd event, since nobody had entered or exited the city, which just made things even more puzzling to those of us on watch.

No matter how hard we concentrated or focused after that and despite our most valiant efforts to be as alert as possible in the pitch black valley, nothing else happened the rest of the night. It wasn't until past the break of day, around mid-morning, that a violent burst of screams erupted from within the city of Troy.

We silently stayed on watch as the day crept further on, reaching just after noon, when the armies of the Aethiopians, Thracians and Lycians all began to leave Troy. I called over one of the young Knights, inquiring as to any word one of our scouts might have picked up.

"Sir Reed, it seems to be that the Aethiopian and Thracian kings were both slaughtered in the night." I must have looked slightly puzzled at this announcement as I fought to process the information completely.

"Sorta like from the old tales, 'cept we got no Achilles strong enough to do the deed." I mused at the words from the young Knight, Darien Cade, a son of Ares.

"Alright men, whatever divine force has helped strike this timely blow, we must go and report the news back at camp to the commanders." I felt certain that there would now be no attacks from the Trojans for today, and there might not be one tomorrow either.

_**(Nico's P.O.V.)**_

It wasn't overly early in the morning but we had received word from the Knights on patrol, that the Trojan reinforcements had begun to retreat around noon or so. So now we were holding a small war conference to determine the next choice of actions. Chiron looked more distressed than he had usually seemed, as of late, and I couldn't help but ponder if maybe it had to do with the mumblings around camp of the newcomers.

"So what do you think of the sudden retreat of the armies?" Percy looked mighty nervous as he ran his hands through his tussled dark hair.

"Perhaps would should let Reed explain the events himself." Fumio stated coolly as he opened the floor for the Knight.

"Well, late last night the gates opened up rather mysteriously." Reed began to recount the events of the watch, sparing no detail or report.

Chiron seemed to pale and cringe equally as he processed the news, but it was Annabeth who offered the first opinion that held significant reasoning.

"Nobody ever did that Brian boy at the camp last night, correct?" Many questioning glances were cast around the room before she continued. "I know I'm not the only one suspicious, but that group is too powerful for us to never have heard of them or anything before now."

This caused a slight sigh from Percy and I caught him sharing a disturbed glance with Chiron and Thalia. Luckily we weren't going to be left in the dark because their worries were going to be voiced.

It was Thalia who spoke up first. "We were suspicious that the small group could be, well, Demititans."

I knew I wasn't the only one stunned or with my mouth gaping open, but Chiron added to Thalia's revelation.

"After the display from yesterday and with last night, I think we can at least be assured that two of the boys are indeed Demititans. I think we would surely be underestimating them though, to not consider all four of them as such."

I just had to know if this were a good or bad thing, and thus voiced myself. "So are they on our side? I know that we've battled their parents and everything, but they don't seem to be causing us any problems really."

Percy clapped my shoulder and tried to smile, but it looked more like he was constipated. "I thought the same thing at first, but I'm afraid it's not as simple as that."

_Not as simple, great._ _So we gain an unexpected upper hand in our war, only to find out that it might not be what it seems. _My thoughts were ripped out of my head violently, as if on cue, a young son of Demeter burst into the tent without permission. He was terribly out of breath and struggling to form words.

"Hillside.. the graveyard... robbed."

Chiron seemed to be slightly annoyed with his lack of composure, and berated him so. "Spit it out child, what's the matter."

The young boy, who had to be no older than twelve, finally mustered his wits. "Someone went grave robbing last night, near the woods where we've been resting our dead."

Percy cursed loudly, which prompted Thalia to grip his hand to calm him back down. "We have to find those Demititans and figure out whatever it is they're up to."

_**(Sam's P.O.V.)**_

"Look, here he comes finally." I pointed out to the dark silhouette approaching over the hills from near the river.

"Well he sure took his sweet time. No doubt by now, that they've put out some sort of search for us after all that commotion lately." Artyom scowled for only a moment before smiling.

"You wish they cared that much." I retorted back, playing our little game of verbal tag while we waited.

It was early in the afternoon still and we had picked up a batch of new recruits. Four girls and a boy, to be exact. None of them appeared to be older than fifteen, but it was obvious that they shared our Titan bloodline. As Brian got closer to our growing band, I could make out the large bags he had slung over his shoulders, which made him look like some countryside serial killer.

"Everything is all wrapped up, we can head back home." He grunted as he dropped the bags onto the ground by our feet with resounding thuds.

I took this moment to count the bags in total and realized there were three of them. The only one who didn't seem slightly disturbed by the large body sized bags or the amount of grime and dirt covering him, would be Jace.

"So you found an extra, did you?" Jace simply smirked as he shared an inside joke with Brian.

"Yeah, apparently the Trojans have been doing a rather bang up job on those demigods. I got what we needed though, and with that other Knight back at the palace, things are really falling into our laps."

It took Brian a few moments of the gloating with Jace to notice the crowd, but he flashed a rather unnerving smile towards Alexis and her friends. "Glad to see you took my offer, just stick with us and we'll reach our palace very soon."

Alexis gulped and slightly stiffened with all the noticeable dead bodies scattered around. This caused Brian to lean in and growl lightly at the girl.

"Listen girlie, and your friends better heed this too, but don't get cold feet. The Mistress wouldn't hesitate on letting me have the lot of you for lunch."

Jace placed a hand on Brian's shoulder as I found myself slightly taken back by the warning. What a way to make an introduction, they would surely run back to the demigod camp now.

"Alexis, don't worry any. Brian is one of the more violent of us, but that's why he's so invaluable. Every cause needs people who can stand do the ugly work." Jace gave a reassuring wink to the newcomers and walked over to pick up a bag. "Artyom, grab one of these will you, pal?"

"Hey now, don't grab the live one. I'll handle that one personally." Brian smirked at Artyom and Jace, as he grabbed a medium sized bag, gently and carefully lofting like it were glass dishes.

"Well, since we're all accounted for, how about we head off now?" I suggested, hoping to avoid anything other than arriving at home.

Without real need for verbal consent, we started off back to the west and to Mount Shasta again.

_**(Kyrene's P.O.V.)**_

Today was the day to test out just exactly how strong Chang was. Everyone that was around had been summoned for the trials and we all seated around our small arena patiently. With the lack of some people, due to the recent quests and just overall tensions lately, this test of mettle would be a good way to break the ice.

Theia began by summoning Chang to the middle of our arena. "Lance, present yourself."

It took a few moments before Chang was nudged into action, stumbling lightly into center stage for all to see.

"Who has any suggestions as to where we should start his trials off at?" Theia asked incredulously, while looking around before casting her eyes on Hana. "Hana, dear, please start the ceremonies."

"Very well." Hana looked at Chang with slightly sad eyes before asking if he had been properly introduced to the system of the trials. "Fine, I will not explain this twice, so you best keep pace."

He frowned a little but prepared himself to intake the information.

"You will be tested in battle, to determine your equivalent rank within our court. It is somewhat like what your Knights go through, if I'm not entirely mistaken." Hana glanced back at Theia for a moment, a slight thought passing between them before she continued.

"As I was saying, you fight until you are defeated in single combat. The person who defeats you, ensures what rank you achieve. Since the Duchess is being so generous today, we will take into consideration your Knight status and skip over the lesser battles with our Squires or Pawns."

Chang froze in confusion before voicing his question. "What exactly do you mean by pawns and squires?"

This caused a flare in Hana's eyes for a second. "Kyrene, quickly explain to this pup how our court fully works."

I rushed up beside Chang hurriedly, knowing the majority of the court was in attendance and time was against me.

"Everyone that has a seat, or throne here, is part of the court. The head of our group is Theia, the Duchess. Followed by Hana and Brock, the Queen and King, respectively. Then you have a group of Knights and Bishops, the warriors and strategists mainly. Lastly, you have the elitists, Rooks, which you've personally gotten on the bad side of one."

Hana was smirking as Chang nodded with a grim expression. "So it's like a big chess game, at least structure wise. That's quite a simple but well thought concept."

He leaned down to whisper his last thoughts to me. "You mean Brian, don't you?"

This caused me to nod yes as he actually broke into a smile. "Well, with him not here, I won't have to face him today at least."

"Enough chit-chat, we will begin now if you understanding everything." Hana hissed at Chang and myself.

Nobody was waiting any longer, as Theia announced the first trial. "Lance of the Dawn, will be facing the Sir Trevor, for the seventh rank."

The two began to square off almost immediately, but Chang was bigger and had the better weapon for the match. Trevor was armed with his usual chakrams, which mixed with his naturally slimmer frame would serve well in stealth or less confrontational work. However, against an older, larger fighter with a melee weapon, Chang held the advantage.

Trevor started off by launching one chakram at Chang, which was casually batted aside with the spear tip. Chang reluctantly poked at Trevor from a distance with his spear, testing the waters as he bid his time a little more while thinking.

It was Trevor who rushed in first, swinging and slashing his chakrams in a whirlwind like dance. The speed obviously caught Chang off guard at first, staggering him backwards a few steps before he braced himself and started to counter.

Once Chang got into a rhythm with that spear, the fight lasted only a few minutes total. Trevor made a last ditch effort to slow down the momentum by firing both chakrams in succession, but this only gave Chang the opening to finish the fight.

"Chang is the victor!" Theia hissed from her perched seat overlooking the trials, the obvious disdain and disgust in her voice.

"Lance of the Dawn, will be facing Lady Kathryn, for the sixth rank." Theia spit out rather venomously, with obvious disgust towards both participants.

This match was rather similar to first, as Kat's lack of range caused another skilled victory for the Knight. Chang did take a slight bit more of a beating with this fight, but nothing he couldn't handle with a devious smile.

"Since we can't have you facing King Brock in combat, you'll have to either take the fifth rank or wait until the other gets back before you can continue your trials." Theia said in the midst of rolling her eyes.

"I'll let you decide." Chang said calmly as he locked eyes with Hana for a brief moment, causing the Queen to make an outburst.

"Theia, let him face Brian, when they return."

Theia seemed amused by the idea and agreed to it happily.

I leaned over to Chang as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. "They just skipped the ranks so you could fight Brian intentionally."

Chang looked at me curiously, before asking "I guess that Brock is fifth, but how many were skipped to get to Brian exactly?"

I gave a small kiss to his cheek before answering. "Brian is the second rank, just barely ahead of Hana and only behind Theia herself."

His expression dropped slightly, as I continued.

"Trevor is a younger Rook, but once you get into the top five ranks, it's a whole 'nother ballgame. They all have powers that could make some of the Gods astonished and Brian is unlike the others, he's nearly a demon."

Chang laughed light but nervously. "How bad could it be, really?"

I looked around as the majority of the spectators had left already. "Theia and Hana have a bit of a power struggle going on, and each has their own personal Rook. Theia has Trevor and Hana has Brian. Seeing as you've managed to upset them both, they seem intent on unleashing Brian on you first moment he gets back."

"Alright, so I just take a simple beating and things will blow over. Simple enough."

His was smile was cut off as three bags were carried into the arena, followed by a small group of people who looked a bit ragged. Brian was the last to enter the room, covered in dirt and blood, he knealt in front of Hana.

"Mistress, we've retrieved the desired objects."

Hana glanced over his shoulder, smirking darkly. "Feathers, good job. I have one more request before you earn your rest. Chang has drawn you as his opponent for his trials."


	16. Troy Burns, Again

**A/N: Thanks to everyone for the hits and reviews, and don't forget to vote for Second Chances at Fanmortals, under Best Romance, when the voting period starts up soon. Hope everyone enjoys the new chapter, and the twists that it brings. Don't forget to look for my next story coming out soon, being co-written with Orochi-Ne**. **Please be sure to read and review, my biggest chapter yet, and thanks everyone for the support this far.**

_**(Chang's P.O.V.)**_

I watched as Brian started to crack his knuckles, wrists, neck, shoulders, back and many more as he braced for a fight. All of the pops strung together like a little chorus of impending pain. The arena wasn't packed out like it had been before, but this group that was gathered made this upcoming trial feel much more personal. I was quickly yanked from within my rationalizing by the low cackle from my would be opponent.

"I've been waiting to crush you like a little bug." Brian sneered at me as the shadows cast upon from the back wall of the arena made it look like I was about to be fighting a zombie on steroids.

"This is his trial right?" A voice to the side of us called, but it was from someone I was unfamiliar with.

"What is your point, Jace?" Hana replied with a small hint of irritation.

"Shouldn't his opponent by myself, if these are proper trials?" The pale, dark haired boy asked with a tone of concern.

"That's just a small trivial matter, dear." Theia replied icily as he smiled daggers at me.

"Nonsense!" Brian half roared with displeasure. "If it's true that you've skipped a member in the trials, then I refuse to fight."

"You... refuse?" Theia's voice was starting to drip with venom on top of the coldness.

"We have always followed the few rules we do abide by. I won't adhere to you changing something on just a stupid whim. Either of you." Brian turned his gaze from one girl to the next, as he turned his back to me completely.

"You have no right to refuse me! I demand that you fight this Lance!" Theia's voice started raising with anger.

I couldn't help but slightly cringe at the possible showdown that was emerging. Hana walked over to Brian and inaudibly whispered to him, not something I could fully make it.

"Does this have to be now?"

I tried my best to piece together the form of her lips, not a skill I was the very best at but I knew that I had to be somewhere close as he just nodded his head yes in disgust. This caused the girl to back away with a slightly sad look on her face. Brian indeed wasn't going to back down from whatever standoff was forming.

"I will no say this again, Duchess. You have forgotten your place and why we are here." It was a calm reply and only seemed to infuriate Theia further.

"Who are you, to tell me what we're doing or why we're here. You are out of line! Knights, silence this fool!"

She was fully screaming now as Brian took a defensive step back, shaking his head side to side as if pleading no. I couldn't understand what was happening fully anymore, but what I could register was the man who wanted to fight me the most was now guarding me. Brian had a long metal staff gripped tightly and as alert as a cornered animal.

"I will always be the oldest. I will always be the guardian of our order and cause. If I am out of line, then our goals have sadly changed and I will face the General before I take another step down through your misguided ideals."

I tried to process the words as it snapped suddenly in my head, they were serving the Titans. "You guys are..." I stumbled out before being cut off by Jace.

"It's true, but this is not the time or place." I noticed now that Hana had distanced herself from Brian and Jace, who stood between myself and the small mob of their friends.

"Why are you helping him?" I tried to ask as quietly as I could to the smaller teen.

"Brian is not wrong in his actions." Jace lightly whispered in my direction, but the tone carried a heavy sense of sadness.

"You are only a pawn for me!" Theia started to yell again, seemingly in an obvious last ditch effort to avoid what was coming.

"I serve the Queen, not you!" Everyone seemed to shift uncomfortably towards Hana. "If she wishes me to stand down, then I will."

His voice seemed troubled, like he was torn between his purpose and friends. Hana just shook her head very slightly and finally offered her first words since this whole ordeal had started.

"Do what you must and know that will always believe in you, even if I cannot support you."

The large, broad shoulders and back that were blocking a straight line view of the arena began to slightly shudder. Jace quickly patted his back and darted off towards Hana. The tension in the room was unbearable now and I was very glad that I had a very restricted view of the occupants, because the room started to glow with an eerie brightness.

"I will not be defied. Not by you or anyone." I shut my eyes tightly as I saw Brian get lit up like a Christmas tree, a burning golden light seemed to cocoon his entire body and seep into his being. At the last moment he became transparent as he screamed in pain. He looked like a man in a large skeleton costume, except for the fact he was really being lighted all the way down to his core.

"Enough!" A deep, booming voice erupted into the entire palace. I had never heard such an emanating voice before, and it sent chills down my spine as I crumpled onto the floor as the words echoed through my head repeatedly.

Hana, Jace and many others rushed about the room like scurrying ants. Brian slumped down onto his knees, but I could still see that his chest was barely heaving enough to keep him alive. Ungodly amounts of blood ran down his arms and from his head, when it occurred to me that he was unconscious but still providing a wall for me.

Hana was the first I recognized near Brian, seemingly to struggle with Jace and a few other girls to clean up the bloody mess.

"Is he going to be alright?" the one I recognized as Kat, asked worriedly.

Theia was leaving the room, being followed by the majority of the onlookers. I noticed that only Hana, Jace, Kat and the other girl who had left earlier with them had remained.

As Theia was about to exit the arena she paused, but didn't attempt to look back. "Take him to Mount Tam, immediately."

Kat sprang to feet as Theia finished her sentence, but was quickly caught and held still by Jace and the other girl, who I saw as Sam. It was Hana who spoke harshly instead.

"Don't think you'll get away with this, karma always balances the scales eventually."

I wouldn't exactly call it a threat but something behind her words had a sense of ominous doom around them, which caused Theia to give a stiff chuckle.

"The final trial for my pet, will be held on Mount Tam and against Jace, this evening."

She left promptly with that, leaving a lot of questions and doubt in my head.

_**(Percy's P.O.V.)**_

Waking up early in the morning was never something I was fond of, and Thalia wasn't what you could call a daylight person. Yet, here we both were, rising once again before the dawn to meet up with Chiron and the others at our makeshift war camp.

I was there sitting on the bed in just my shorts, watching Thalia sleep before having to wake her up, when Annabeth burst into our tent with an exhausted huff. Her face got redder as she blushed at catching Thalia and myself in such a private moment, which made the tension and awkwardness in the room go up.

"Well, I didn't mean to catch you so..." She quickly cleared her throat before remembering the reason she came to begin with. "Chiron said that Troy is stirring at last, and we need to gather quickly."

I nodded as she started backing up the exit of our tent. "So, you should wake up sleeping beauty there so we don't have to wait longer than need be."

I ignored Annabeth as she left, but her words gave me a interesting idea. I leaned in closely to the sleeping punk princess and softly kissed her lips. It would have been a pleasant moment, if not for the fact that Thalia whacked me upside the side in reaction to being kissed awake.

"Oh gods, Percy, are you okay?" I tried not to glare at the fact my girlfriend had tried to bash my head in for kissing her good morning.

"Yeah, I'll manage." I said while rubbing the sore spot just above my left temple, hopefully it wouldn't bruise or anything. "Oh, Annabeth stopped by this morning also."

Thalia gave me a suspicious glance before asking why. "Any reason?"

"Something about Chiron calling an early morning meeting, the Trojans seem to be ready to fight again." I smiled bashfully, before getting up and getting dressed.

Thalia quickly followed suit and once we were both ready, we headed to the command tent, to find everyone but the Knights present.

"Percy, Thalia, how nice of you to both join us so early in the morning." Clarisse mocked which earned scowls from both of us.

"Glad to see you were able to get dressed to join us, but perhaps you should just start taking pictures of Thalia instead of staring all day."

Nico jabbed playfully, making me think that Annabeth must have said something to him already. I just rolled my eyes and asked Chiron what the situation was.

"So, where exactly are the Knights?" I couldn't help but wonder.

"Well, without their Captain, they aren't exactly suited for early morning combat anymore." I looked puzzled as Chiron explained further. "The Knights of the Dawn, aren't really _of the Dawn _without their captain, Tajima Kou."

I didn't fully understand it but I had a pretty vague concept of what he meant. It was basically like a firefly who didn't have any light.

"We did get word from the patrols again last night, that Troy has been extra noisy lately." Chiron kept on going over his morning briefing with us.

"Noisy could mean a lot of things though, what do you think they have in mind? It has been nearly a week since they've opened their gates." Thalia questioned our small council, which was quickly interrupted by the Stoll brothers.

"Troy has opened." Travis started out, only to have Connor finish the thought. "There is a really big horse headed in our direction."

I looked at Annabeth, who seemed to be laughing a little bit hysterically. Everyone else turned her direction as she finally composed herself enough to speak.

"Just the irony, that Troy is finally using the Trojan Horse thing." A few others burst out laughing slightly as I remembered what the Trojan horse could mean.

"Everyone gather the armies for war, we won't be baited with such an old trick."

It took a good half hour to have everyone ready, but once we all stood atop the hillside of our camp and watched as a few dozens Trojans rolled a large wooden horse into the valley. I conferred with Thalia, Nico and Fumio for a moment before deciding on the course of action. I smiled and nodded as the Knights and Hunters both broke off in directions of east and west and signaled when ready.

"Fire arrows!" came the cries as the horse was set on fire with deadly accuracy.

We watched from atop the hilltop as it burned ferociously, but no soldiers spilled out from it's remains. We had a small group go down to inspect the burning, and once close enough I watched in horror as the horse exploded like a bomb as the last bit of fire mixed some kind of explosive hidden deep in the veins.

"I'm such an idiot." I couldn't help but curse myself as a roar released from the city, the gates swung open and our stormed the remaining Trojan army.

"Charge!" The yell came from a feminine voice that I knew was Thalia's. It seemed like slow motion as I stayed back as all the Knights, Hunters and demigods rushed forth. It took me a moment to notice that Nico, Tyson, Grover and Chiron were waiting beside me with our more monstrous allies.

"War is mean and good people can hurt." Tyson smiled at me in his attempt to make me feel better. "We will make the city fire bright, like the big pony."

I chewed on my lip and watched cautiously as the fighting erupted in violent bursts. Nico had an idea that would take him a short while to complete but he told me that because of the date, he could pull it off.

I looked at him curiously for moment as he informed me of the plan. "Percy, we've been out here nearly a month. Have you really lost that much track of time?"

I couldn't help but shrug and shake my head yes, being a god could make it difficult to keep track of the days, they all tended to blur together more than before.

"So what does that all mean exactly?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Tonight is October 31st, and I'll have a rather large command of the undead for today until midnight. The other big day would be the winter solstice, but I don't plan on being out here for that long." He laughed lightly, causing me to snicker along with him.

"Please, by all means, unleash the damned." I smiled as we shared more of a chuckle.

Nico wondered off to being a rather grand summoning ritual for a large host army of the dead, making me turn my attention back towards the battlefield. Our forces were battering the Trojans, but I couldn't help notice that Aeneas didn't appear to be in the plains.

"Chiron, is it just me, or do the Trojans not seem to have an acting commander today?" I was puzzled by the thought, and thoroughly confused as he looked stunned by the revelation.

"Percy, this is another trap, quickly pull out the armies." It was my turn to be stunned as he informed me of the ploy.

It was all too late though as a wall of archers sprung from behind the mighty walls of Troy. The amount of arrows that ripped through the sky cast a large black shadow that swallowed up the sky. I couldn't help but flinch as it took moments before my friends to cover properly, but more than a few would be too late to do so.

Screams and cries of pain erupted from the plains as I motioned Tyson to rush in with the Cyclopes. I shut my eyes briefly as the grunts and thuds of bodies could be heard as my brothers army lost many as well to the onslaught of arrows. I was brought back suddenly as I heard a curse and lightning strike one of the walls of Troy.

"Thalia!"

I cried out as Chiron held me back from rushing into the bloody mess. Everything seemed to be in slow motion as I struggled in vain to get free of Chiron's grasp, watching Thalia drop to her knees from the relentless volley of arrows. The Hunters were too scattered to cover her as another volley arched high into the noon sky.

I wanted to shut my eyes but I couldn't pry them away from the scene unfolding in front of me. She was about to skewered by horde of arrows, but a figure shielded her at the last minute. I thanked all of the gods possible, feeling the tears sting my cheeks.

"You ready?" I was broke from the horrors by Nico, who looked exhausted but reassured me he was still fit to fight.

"Chiron, I have a crazy plan." I smiled deviously at Nico and Chiron both. "Let's light your skeleton army on fire."

Nico smiled but Chiron looked taken back for a moment before understanding. Chiron, Grover and our nature forces helped light up the skeletons, who seemed to number a good four thousand, albeit rather reluctantly from Grover's group.

"Some people are lonely because they build walls instead of bridges. Luckily for us, both burn well. Charge!" I shouted as I took off down to the valley.

"Let's show them the power of the dead!" Nico screamed next to me.

I rushed to where Thalia was, noticing that Fumio and many of the Knights were guarding the injured or dead Hunters. I lurched forward in shock at seeing the dead boy crouched over Thalia, shielding her. It was one of the acting commander of the Elite's, a corporal, Victor Vasquez. He was filled with countless arrows and dripping blood everywhere, but he was long dead.

Thalia could mumble slightly and I saw that she had taken a couple of arrows, to her shoulder, stomach and right leg. Chiron and the Centaurs evacuated the dead and wounded, as the flaming skeletons burned through the Trojans left on the field.

Taking a moment to glance up hill, Grover was busy mending the wounded with help from the Nymphs and Satyrs. Our forces had thinned out dramatically as I peered into the burning corpses with awe.

"Holy Hades, that's so awesome!" Fumio smiled as Nico got excited from watching his flaming skeletons explode against the walls and gates of Troy. Each kamikaze skeleton put a strain of the foundation of Troy, until it became apparent that the defenses would soon collapse.

The Trojans were too busy working in vain to put out the skeletons, as I had any capable archers to return the favor they paid us early. The rest were waiting to rush the city as soon as it fell. Fumio wasted no time in repaying the kindness from the past months worth of battles upon Troy, and it didn't even take an hour for the city to crumble.

"For the dawn!" Fumio yelled, inciting a massive response as the Knights rushed in first, followed by Tyson's Cyclopes and then more skeletons with Nico and myself lastly. It really didn't take long to overrun the Trojans once the city fell, maybe two hours at most. The most surprising thing was to find that many of the commanders and soldiers had been killed prior to today, making me shudder as I thought of the demi-titans.

When we returned I sought out Thalia immediately, to find that she was seriously injured but would pull through. Relief rushed through my body as Tyson happily offered to carry her to the bonfire and shroud burnings. Many other Cyclopes did the same for other of the injured, and Chiron started by saying a long prayer before starting the ceremony. He called me up to address the crowd, which I felt horribly sad and nervous about.

"Today.. we nearly suffered a catastrophic defeat." I started into the words that were running through my head. "We have lost many friends and family in another struggle but we stand here because we are victorious!"

A chorus of shouts and cheers burst from the demigods. "Victory is not without sacrifice and tonight we will honor our lost." I started to list off the casualties from today's hellish struggle, and from the whole war.

"Will Solace, Zack Emerson and Reggie Flanagan, sons of Apollo. Todd Acosta, son of Aphrodite. Malcolm and Wyatt Phelps, sons of Athena. Chris Rodriguez, son of Hermes. Garret Holford, son of Dionysus. Omar Elias and Tommy Malone, sons of Demeter. Mark, Sherman and Dwayne Lambert, sons of Ares. Jake Mason, son of Hephaestus. Micah, Marianne and Alexis, Hunters of Artemis."

I paused to look at Fumio and much smaller group of Knights left, he just nodded and smiled sadly to proceed.

"Christian Whitney, Morton Baptiste, Wesley Stocco, Martyn Paolino, Victor Vasquez, Seiji Kayato, Andrew Biha, and Tajima Kou, Knights of the Dawn."

The bonfire flames burning a dull blue as everyone looked sullen and deep in thought. I was slightly surprised to see the Olympians suddenly behind me, mourning along with us. I don't think they were really there, just with us in spirit because only a few of the most sensitive demigods seemed to notice anything.

The girl Adara was the one who broke the silence around us. I remembered her as the girl who had arrived before after the war in Manhattan, and she seemed close to the Knights.

"Someone once told me to be soft, and not let the world make us hard. To not let the pain make you hate or let the bitterness steal our sweetness. To take the pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, we still believe it to be a beautiful place."

Many looked up at hearing those words, but she wasn't yet done with her line. "I know death and war hurt, I lost the person who told me all of those things, but he never gave up and we can't either. Our friends and families would never forgive us if we just slumped and broke down after all of this."

I calmly placed my hand on her shoulder, she was shaking with nervousness. Everyone seemed to be holding on to a small burning hope, once again.

I spread my arms out wide and smiled broadly. "You were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Naturally you have all become heroes."

The loss would always be felt, just like from last year, but we forge on and keep up the fight and faith. The relief of having defeated the Trojans was a huge burden lifted, but the veil of evil was not lifted and I shared a small knowing with Chiron that we weren't yet out of the water.

_**(Kat's P.O.V.)**_

We were half-dragging Brian through the palace corridors in Mount Shasta, when we crossed paths with Theia again. She greeted us with an unpleasant smile as she frowned at the state Brian seemed to be in.

"It seems the demigods have managed to defeated Troy."

The four of us weren't overly thrilled with what this could mean, but Hana had to voice her growing resentment. "Brian is in no condition to be going anywhere."

"Don't worry, Winnifred." She called me disgustingly, momentarily ignoring Hana. "If you're lucky, Brian will return to you mainly intact, but he must do this alone."

I scoffed and many others were appalled by this. "Do what and on whose orders. Duchess?" Hana snapped back violently.

Theia just tisked at this, and stared at her nails as if bored. "Unfortunately, Brian is to retrieve the dead."

Before anyone could make anymore objections or fights, Brian struggled to his feet and effectively silenced any brewing argument. "I can manage just fine, no worries."


	17. Lux et Veritas

**A/N: Enjoy the new chapter of Second Chances, and check out "The Resistance" by Aanaleigh. Also, just about 20 more days til you guys can vote on Fanmortals, so don't forget to vote for me! I still don't own PJO, but I love you all hehe.**

_**(Thalia's P.O.V.)**_

A young girl poked her head into the frayed tent opening, looking slightly frightened as she cleared her throat before announcing she was there.

"Thalia, we've spotted something unusual across the plains."

It took me a moment to notice that it was one the Hunters, the girl had been recruited not all that long ago really, just a little more than a few months. I racked my brain to remember her name and whinced in pain as I struggled to sit up.

"Are you alright?" the girl's young and cautious voice shook slightly with concern.

"Yes, I think I'll be able to manage." I forced what must have been an unpleasant looking smile, as my thoughts drifted to where Percy might be at this early hour, before shifting back again to the girl.

"Emily, right?" I remembered the girls name, which earned me a small nod and appreciative smile. "Well, what's the matter then?"

I certainly hoped I didn't sound as cross as I felt, but the Emily's hesitation was broken by a slightly two older girls who I didn't have any troubles with who they were.

"Emily, please wait outside for just a moment." It was a reassuring and kind voice, only stung with a hint of bitterness. I knew that it belonged to Cassidy, while the other girl who I could clearly see entering the tent was Elyssa.

"Thalia, someone opened the Trojan gates last night." Elyssa didn't pull many punches with her topics of straight forwardness.

"Is that where Percy and the others are, then?" I asked back to the trio of Hunters, when the resemblance caught me, causing me to ask without giving it the thought I should have. "Emily wouldn't happen to be your younger sister, would she Elyssa?"

This didn't go over very well but confirmed what I suspected immediately by the response.

"We were only asked to deliver you the message, so the Chiron and the council could know if you felt up to joining them."

I nodded at the girls as the two left, Cassidy staying behind for a brief moment to apologize. I pained through a smile but stayed sitting on the bed as I thought over what might be going on now. It was only a few minutes before a thundering crash could be heard from down in the valley, making me struggle to my feet to catch a glimpse of what the commotion was about.

"Di immortales." Chiron cursed from our overlook of the valley, as I finally gathered myself enough to reach the small crowd.

Percy quickly helped support me as I got my first view of the carnage down in the valley below us. I noticed the demi-titan boy from before attacking Troy by himself, bashing in the crumbling walls with his fists in a seemingly violent rage.

"What's going on..." I could help but slip out, but nobody turned to look at me or bothered to answer my question. We all stood transfixed on the boy and the crumbling ruins across the plains in front of us, before it became painfully obvious what was going on.

"Percy, he's destroying Troy to make the underworld open up." I snapped my head to Chiron, after hearing his explanation of what was taking place.

"What good would that do?" Percy called back as the carnage kept up at a slightly ground shaking pace.

"Didn't you say that someone had stolen some corpses already, of the Knights?" Chiron asked in his calm and calculating tone.

"Someone needs to check our the shrouds and forest behind the encampment." Annabeth was a step ahead of our thoughts with her words.

"Well... Zeus be damned!" The curse caught me by surprise, as well as a few others, when Fumio ran a hand through his messy morning hair. "If he can create a new opening to Hades, well... he would presumably gain access to any of our recent dead that have yet to be judged."

"Which is pretty much half our armies... fantastic luck we have." I glanced at Percy, rolling my eyes at his flair for the obvious.

"Chiron, shouldn't we try to do something to stop him?" I was barely able to squeeze out before the last remains of Troy sank into the ground.

"Too late." Tyson remarked from behind us, with a small group of Centaurs and Satyrs. "Sleeping people back awake now."

I couldn't help but cringe at the thought, when something hit me like a brick to the face.

"Thalia!" I heard Percy cry quickly and come rushing to my side, along with Annabeth and Chiron.

"Just hold.." He was cut off by a basketball sized rock that slammed into his chest, and another landing at the feet of our group. We were being barraged by basketball rocks, being thrown faster than a baseball pitcher would hurl fastballs.

Many others were running or falling to the ground unconscious, Chiron calling for everyone capable to pull back and secure the injured. Somehow though, I knew that the attack was meant to only stun us and gain time for the undead to escape.

"Emily! You freak, leave us alone!" Elyssa cried loudly, screaming at the stoic reaper of the dead, who was hurling stones at us. That was when I saw the small body of Emily, crushed underneath a much too large boulder. I felt the pang in my chest, knowing that a Hunter had fallen, and then I drifted into my own unconsciousness.

_**(Hana's P.O.V.)**_

I was tempted to give Theia a piece of mind then and there, but it had been hours since we'd left our comfort at Mount Shasta, and arrived at Mount Tam, down in southern California. Hopefully Brian has reached the demigod camp by now and was beginning one of our last preparations before our course of action would be truly determined.

"Lance, welcome to our second home, if you would." Theia motioned for the black half-ruins of Mount Tam, before Chang noticed the far corner of the dark palace.

"Is that.. really.. Atlas?" He broke with a trembling voice, trying to slowly back up to the entrance. This route was cut off by a wave of Theia's hand, and a rush of some of our younger friends.

"Would you like to meet him?" She looked as if she were about to say more when Atlas rumbled him his place between the earth and sky.

"What are you possibly scared of, in such a docile place like this..." Atlas bellowed at Chang, causing a few stifled laughs from among our group.

Arty nudged Chang from behind, pushing him into the center of the room, as we encircled him fully. Jace sighed as Theia motioned him into our makeshift fighting arena, then made an odd promise.

"Lance, if you can get through this trial, we can properly introduce you to our whole nice, little family." She smirked with a beguiling smile before indicating for the battle to begin.

Chang didn't seem to find himself with much of a fighting appetite, and who could blame him in front of such an intimidating audience. He eventually gripped his spear firmly and cautiously approached Jace, prodding towards him like you would with spooked cattle.

Jace simply kicked the spear out of harm's way and started to nock his bow and fire off arrows. He was testing Chang's defenses to start off, putting each arrow to the corners of the body, making the young Knight reach and stretch further and further to block the arrows.

Chang finally started to recompose himself and get a little more assertive, but his failed attempts at closing the gap in distance made him switch to the short bow. He seemed fairly competent with the small bow at first, but the gap in skill became suddenly obvious. Chang was still on the defensive as Jace casually deflected each arrow with one of his own.

The tension and built up nervousness suddenly evaporated, as Atlas started to mock Chang.

"C'mon flea... show some bite!"

The Knight broke into a frenzied rage, slashing his spear in wide arcs and a cocky fury. This was a similar style that he had used before against Trevor, but it only caused Jace to smirk wide.

"You think I haven't dissected this overly wild attack style of yours? Lance indeed." Jace mocked the pun of the name Theia constantly referred to him by.

This only seemed to infuriate the boy more, as he caught Jace off guard initially with his next series of attacks. Chang had begun leaping into the air on varied steps, slashing the spear downward as he sprang into air. Jace cursed at the gash along his right forearm, before calculating the new attack into his plans.

"One, two, three, leap. One, two, lunge. One, two, three, leap." Jace smirked as the pattern indeed become obvious now that it was pointed out. Both fighters were dancing inside our circle like a convoluted ballet, slashing and twirling wildly but with a sadistic and bloodthirsty precision.

Chang altered his third predicted step, lunging instead of making a lead. Jace quickly ducked and rolled towards the wall, spring and running up the first ledge of rock. We all stood watching the brilliant show, as Jace backflipped and twisted midair to fire off a volley of arrows that successfully struck Chang in both legs.

Jace landed with a balancing hand on the black marble floor, as Chang toppled backwards. The count was five total arrows, nestled in both thighs. Brock stepped in and declared the fight official.

"Now, since you've performed so admirably, proper introductions are in order." Theia smiled cruelly, as we all gathered facing Atlas. Chang was sitting off the to the side, being treated by Kyrene and Amara.

"Show me the bodies, Theia." Atlas commanded, which caused a slight flinch from Theia before she had boy that Brian had found previously, drag the bodies to the center of the room. Nobody needed to tell him to open them and soon enough, lay the bodies of three fallen Knights.

"Well, who are they?" Atlas demanded in between curses from under his burden.

"Martyn Paolino." Chang said, pointing out the first body. It was pale white, but the boy had shaggy black hair and was physically small, appearing to be around fourteen.

The next bag was opened to reveal a large, hulking body that lacked a head. Chang shuddered in his seat, but stayed resigned to his current fate.

"Andrew Biha, former son of Hercules. He died protecting my brother." His voice was heavy and resonating with guilt and pain.

"Ha.. what a fool, losing his head when the other boy's life was forfeit to start." Atlas smiled between curses. This caused a small wave of shock, as out of the final bag was Chang's brother himself.

"Tajima!" Chang would have sprang to his feet, had he not be rendered unable to stand for a while. It was a brief and pointless struggle as Atlas growled with a hint of frustration.

"Theia!" Atlas coughed and sputtered as he cursed at our leader.

"Right, right. Introductions, how droll." She waved her hand dismissively towards Atlas, but kept up her menacing smile. "Let's begin, so we can get this out of the way then."

Brock took the proverbial center stage, gesturing wildly, as if he was conducting a grand performance before thousands.

"Chang Kou, former lieutenant of the Knights, allow me to introduce you to the Veritas!" Brock beamed with pride and a touch of joy as Chang frowned for a moment.

"Veritas, like as in truth?" The question was put forth and Brock relished the moment to explain further.

_"Lux et Veritas."_ Brock paused for a moment. "That is what we are, Light and Truth."

Chang nearly scoffed but Brock just kept on explaining it all.

"We're the proper guardians of light and truth, and these are our sworn upholders of such. Starting with the Duchess, Theia, who is a daughter of Hyperion."

Theia took a small bow before letting Brock continue.

"Our Queen, Hana, is the daughter of Asteria and myself, as King, am the son of Perses. Which brings us to our Lords and Ladies."

The group stepped forward, making Chang notice the count was just one short from the throne at Mount Shasta.

"Lady Cassandra, daughter of Selene and Lord Artyom, son of Helios."

Cassie had short black hair, light brown eyes stepped forward and bowed politely. Artyom was right next to her, a few inches taller but with dark auburn hair that sported a natural black streak through it. I couldn't help but smile to myself as the pair blatantly held hands as they were being presented.

"It's finally a pleasure..." Cassie began to speak, only for Arty to finish her thought. "..to meet you formally."

Brock held back a laugh as he kept going.

"I believe you're already familiar with Amara, daughter of Eirene and Kyrene, who is the daughter of Klymene."

Chang nodded at the two girls, both with brown hair, the difference being Amara had curly pigtails and brown eyes.

"Let's see. That should bring us to the Ladies, Stella and Sam." Brock commented as the girls both made a step forward.

Stella looked elegant as always with her flowing black hair, that held a twinge of green in it. Her eyes were mixed with splashes of brown and black both, making her extremely exotic. Sam, being one of our oldest members, hair burning red hair that sparked with her hazel eyes. She was fairly small in stature, only taller than Kat and Amara, but was a very skilled fighter.

I playfully elbowed Brock in the side. "Oh yeah.. Stella is a daughter of Eurybia, while Sam is a daughter of Circe. Which leaves the three you last faced in your trials. Jace, son of Prometheus and Trevor, son of Epimetheus. Kathryn being the daughter of Styx."

Trevor didn't bother making himself stand out as he glared at Chang from beside Theia, with his neck length brown hair, slight tan and teal eyes. Kat seemed equally disgusted with having to be presented before Chang. This left Jace, who walked over and patted Chang on the shoulder.

"Sorry about the whole battle thing, Brian was protecting you before.. if I had my choice, I wouldn't have fought you, but trials are trials." The smile was friendly enough, but Jace paused then leaned in to add some extra words. "I think you hold back to much, you're a twin right? So you can't be that much worse than your brother was."

I looked to see if anyone else had heard the comments, but fortunately due to the proximity of everyone it wasn't very apparent.

Atlas cut off the silence, with a harsh growl. "Present me the newcomers, to be appraised."

Arty and Trevor ushered the newcomers up in front, as Theia, Brock and myself frowned and fussed over them for a moment.

"Make yourself known!" Atlas boomed loudly, causing the first girl to squeak back with a hint of venom.

"I'm Elise Berkeley, sixteen years old and I want that boy, by the wall." She pointed directly at Jace, smiling wickedly. Elise had brown hair worn in a french braid over one shoulder, with slightly slanted grey eyes.

"Elise... daughter of Lelantos." Atlas said a bit coldly, before looking at the next girl.

"I'm, uh, Alexis Forster." She had black hair and dark brown eyes, and was the second oldest of the group next to Elise. Alexis was the girl who had sought Brian out before.

"Alexis, daughter of Astraios." Atlas said dismissively, expecting the only boy to speak.

"My name is Aaron Lunsford, sir." Aaron had short, spiky black hair with a red stripe down the front. A bit opposite from the auburn look that Artyom had. Aaron also had icy blue eyes, but he was rather short for a boy, maybe standing around 5'7 or 5'8.

"Aaron, son of Astrea." Atlas mimicked back.

"Carmen Voelker." A girl with an annoyed disposition announced, she had calm brown hair with black eyes that seemed to sparkle shades of brown.

"Carmen, Eunomia." Atlas replied to her with similar disdain.

"My name is Hayley..." A smallish voice called from behind the last girl. Hayley, had short black hair and black eyes, and was definitely the youngest out of everyone.

"Girl, speak up!" Atlas bellowed at her.

"Hayley Carroway." She replied just loud enough to hear, but at least properly audible this time.

"Right. Hayley, daughter of Dione. Now, to our last."

"I am Kendall Spraggs, age fifteen, and I like changing the streaks in my hair on a monthly basis." Kendall beamed towards Atlas with her shoulder length black hair that was hidden under a match black beanie, her grey eyes poking out from underneath the mess of hair in her face.

"Kendall, daughter of Eurynome." Atlas looked slightly annoyed as he scanned over everyone, then growled at Theia once more.

"Theia Tedrow, where is my son?"

I watched Theia's jaw flinch before setting defiantly. "Obviously... he isn't here."

"I'm aware of where he is or is not!" Atlas roared back at her in anger.

"Well, if you know where he is, why are you pestering me about it?" Theia snapped back, in a similar argument that she had with Brian before we had set off.

I jumped into the conversation before things could get any worse. "General Atlas, he set out just a before we left for here. He was off to collect more necessities from the demigod camp at Troy."

Atlas glowered at me, before staring down Theia with pure hatred. "If he went east, why is he in Hades right now?"

I felt absolutely stunned and couldn't help look at the astonished faces to see similar responses. Even Theia seemed taken back by the words.

"You can't mean he's dead..." she replied without the luster or determination that she had just moments ago. The wind had been effectively knocked out of all of us.

"Brian can't be dead.. surely there's a mistake." Kat yelled at Theia, as Atlas started to laugh before he silenced us all.

"It seems not even the great Theia can account for all of her court after all."

Theia just sneered at Atlas in response. "If you're done with us, may we take leave of your presence?"

Atlas bellowed out a laugh and snarled back. "Yes, for now, and you better hope that Brian returns back alive, for your sake."

I caught Theia by the arm as we all headed back deeper into the black palace's caverns.

"What did you do to Brian? Did you send him to his death, knowing you would infuriate Atlas, before we got here?" I had so much frustration built up that it seemed to explode at her all at once.

"No... even chained, I wouldn't start an unnecessary battle with the General right now." She seemed unnerved by Brian failing, as I did.

"Do you think he really failed?" I couldn't help but ask, noticing Kat run past us both and into the shadows.

"Brian... Brian wouldn't ever fail... it's not possible, Hana." Theia paused lightly. "I don't know what's going on, but I'm not sure we can trust Brian anymore."

Theia stomped off as I was left there with my head spinning. There was entirely too much to process now, and I desperately needed time to think.

**A/N: Be sure to check out the upcoming story co-written by myself and Orochi-ne. Don't forget to review either, hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Sorry for the slight delay. **


	18. The Stench of Death

**A/N: Update time is here again.. hope everyone likes what's about to happen. Special thanks go out to Shrrgnien for help with the chapter, and to Orochi-ne, who is writing the Lost Legacy saga with me. Be sure to check out the opening of that also, "Lost Legacy: the Titan War". Also everyone, be sure to look for his Thaleo story "Tainted Hearts".

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_**(Percy's P.O.V.)**_

I couldn't help but stare around the wreckage in a nervous apprehension. It didn't seem that anyone had honestly suffered much more than a serious headache and distraction, until I spotted the Hunters encircled around a larger boulder than anything else in the vicinity.

"Oh gods, no..." I murmured slightly aloud, making my way to the group where Thalia was, crouched with her Hunters in mourning.

"She was still so young." A girl with strikingly blond hair sobbed next to Thalia.

I could only just stand back and watch the sadness. They had lost a couple of other girls atop these now horrid fields of death, but I guess that this would be the final straw in terms of suffering.

"Elyssa, help me carry her back towards the tents." Thalia coldly stated, giving me a look that mixed pain with rage.

She would need time with her fellow Hunters, so I would have to find something else to occupy my time. It wouldn't be as hard as I assumed. Chiron galloped beside me, placing a hand on my shoulder as he gazed into the rubble of Troy.

"Percy, my boy, we need to have a chat with that man."

I was floored by his words. Surely, he wasn't intent on trotting out to meet the person who confusingly brought death to seemingly everything around him. This wasn't apparently enough to dissuade Chiron, as he had already started down the hillside of camp.

"Hurry boy, we must do this quickly." Came the call back.

Running to catch up seemed nearly impossible, but with a stroke of luck I tripped and rolled half of my way down to the plains. Embarrassed would be a slight exaggeration as I brushed myself off, taking one brief glance behind us, only to see Thalia and Nico glaring with mixed expressions of hatred and curiosity.

"You.." Chiron snorted in frustration as I clearly got the first look of this mystery man, the one who had declined our offer to meet once before.

"Long time, cousin." The man with wavy brown hair and a medium skin that reminded me of Zoe, smiled disturbingly.

"Ha." Chiron retorted back, before remembering I was present. "Barrick, this is the new God of Heroes, Perseus Jackson."

"You can easily just call me Brian." Another hidden smile behind haunting blue eyes.

"I hate to ruin reunions, but you just pummeled a chunk of our forces with that tossing display." The bitterness was seeping through but the large teen just shrugged with a half smile.

"The girl was unfortunate, but fate holds no remorse." Brian chuckled.

I was taken back by the blatant lack of disregard for life. This guy was utterly confounding and frustrating, but Chiron seemed to have pressing business with him for reasons I couldn't yet grasp. Was he on our side or not, I assumed that was most likely less than likely, seeing as everything taking place since he first arrived.

"To be truthful, I never expected to see you again." Chiron coldly cut through my thoughts and the resounding silence around us.

"Hey, what can I say... Kronos slipped up on this one." Brian didn't laugh or smile this time, but stared into my eyes with a look of apology. "I'm sorry about that whole mess, if I had been around..."

Chiron seemed to understand where the line of thinking was heading and cut off his cousin, but I was stunned by what he could have meant.

"Things don't go how we want them sometimes, and you aren't responsible for maintaining the whole world's order." Chiron looked back and forth between the two of us, finally decided to explain.

"Percy, despite how he comes across.." there was a short, uncomfortable pause. "Brian isn't on the side of the Titans, not entirely."

"Which means what? He just fancied pelting stones at us for the fun of it?" My frustration was growing more now.

"He is the son of Ophion." Chiron sighed as he looked back up the hillside to our camp. "Perhaps you should check on your army, and we can discuss this further tonight."

I nodded, getting the hint that this would be all of the information allowed to me for now. With a bit of a beleaguered stance, I trotted back up to where the others were cleaning up. Thalia approached in a angry rush up to me, hitting me with a punch to the face.

"You asshole!" She was seething but managed to keep her voice level. "We get attacked by that jerk and you go off for a meeting with him? You realize what he's done to us? Do you really care about all of this?"

The flow of questions rattled out in a haste, all of them rhetorical. What was I suppose to tell her though, that Gods sometimes have to operate in neutrality. Anything I could say would only incite her temper worse, so I let her lash into me.

"Thalia, can we talk about this alone, please." It was the only thing I could do to hopefully handle the situation.

She closed her eyes and nodded, stomping ahead of me back to our tent. Once inside she stood at the back, near the bed, with her hands on her hips and an I'm going to hurt you if you don't explain fast expression on her face.

"Chiron needed me to meet with him, Brian Barrick, the demi-titan son of Ophion."

Her face paled as she let me tell her about the conversation that I had been dismissed from. I went into everything I knew about the siege of Troy and how it all kept connecting to the guy talking with Chiron. Eventually she sighed and back tiredly on the bed. I knew that somehow, this only opened up what would be a long night of many explanations.

_**(Brock's P.O.V.)**_

We were generally all just lounging around, getting to know the group of new inductees. Jace had wondered off with Artyom and the new guy, Aaron. They had dragged the Knight bodies off down a corridor for safe keeping. Theia had been left slightly reeling by Atlas's unnerving confession that Brian was somehow in Hades.

My most immediate concern would be sleep, as it usually was. This wonderful thought didn't seem to last me very long though, as a group of girls came clambering down the halls. It was the usual gossip talk, who was seeing who and all of that ridiculous girl talk. It wouldn't have really caught my attention except for what one of the girls had spouted.

"So, do you see the boys here?" the first girl asked, but I blanked on her name.

"What boys, they only have five if you don't count that one that came with us." The older black hair girl rebutted.

"Oh, Alexis, you really need to learn to live a little. I personally think that one dueling was quite nice." It was the first girl again, her name finally coming to me. Elise. She had been the high spirited one of the bunch.

"I think his name is Jace, unless you mean the guy who got filled up with arrows." Alexis answered back dryly.

The two girls behind them both snickered at the comments and as they started to walk out of earshot, I couldn't help but follow from a distance to eavesdrop on what else might come up. It's not that I had a particular interest in listening to their thoughts, but there wasn't much else going on really either.

"Well, we can rule out the fire kid and the guy who got beat before." Kendall, the girl with black hair covered up by a matching black beanie laughed.

"You mean Artyom and Trevor? Yeah.. they both seem to taken." All of the girls laughed at Elise's comments.

"What about Brock, the King dude." Carmen, the fourth girl spoke up.

"Oh my gods, no. He's like, uh, a bit too creepy." Elise said in a mock horrified tone.

"Creepy? Really, Elise?" Carmen asked with a hint of curiosity.

"Well, not creepy like stalker or nothing. I mean, he just seems like he might have a short temper or something. Nasty violent and all that." Elise retorted, nervous.

"Also, wouldn't he most likely be with Hana, the Queen?" Alexis offered with a bit of boredom for the subject.

"That leaves the guy who found you guys... the grave-robber." Elise replied.

"Brian." Alexis answered her quickly. "But you heard what.. what Atlas said."

"Yeah, but what about him?" Elise snapped back at the taller girl.

"Yes, indeed. What about me?" All four of the girls looked terrified as they stood frozen in front of their subject.

Brian looked at the girls each with a smile and snarl both. His clothes were torn and covered with filth, he looked like he'd spent days crawling around with the dead. His hands looks burned and it made me wonder what exactly he had been up to down in the underworld.

"Ah, King Brock, what a pleasant surprise to find you first." The snarl hadn't receded from his voice. I couldn't yet place what didn't fit about the scene, but something seemed terribly amiss.

"Glad to see you alive, if that is you are such." I replied cautiously, still unsure what his game was.

He simply strolled on past me, glancing back over his shoulder just once to inquire Theia's location as he strode onward.

"Is he alright? I mean, he looks so.." Alexis began to ask, but a new voice cut through the air.

"Dead." Cassie called out as she neared us. "Brian looks dead. I'm sure you felt it too, Brock."

"Something totally doesn't feel right about this." Artyom smiled from next to her.

"I agree, and I take it everything is secured?" I quizzed about the Knights bodies.

"Aye, good and safe, for now." Arty smiled nervously at me.

It was a rather large crowd we had now, everyone was present in the room except the obvious. Theia was deeper in the black palace with Hana, but only the gods knew where Kathryn had slipped off too. Sam and Jace were still treating Chang at our makeshift infirmary.

"I think I'm gonna check on things, keep everybody away from the back quarters." I said towards Cassie and Arty, who both nodded and led the group of girls off in a different direction than Brian or myself headed down.

It took me a couple of minutes to catch sight of him, but he on a direct course for Hana. I couldn't see what she was doing, as I was peering from a shadowy spot along a crevice in the wall, to conceal myself.

"My lady, I'm sorry if I brought you any discomfort in my delay." Brian spewed unnaturally.

My head started to spin as he leaned down and kissed Hana on the lips briefly, which seemed to stun her before prompting the oddest response I'd ever heard from her, that I could recall.

"Oh, think nothing of it, dearest. It's just good that you've returned to me at last." The words spilled from her lips, with an injustice.

"Now, my dear, tell me the most efficient way to dispose of that terrible Duchess." Brian said as he helped Hana to her feet.

"You need a counter for her powers.. something invariably dark based." Hana said in a dreamlike trance.

"Ah, then I suppose Kathryn would be ideal for this, correct?" Brian asked with a venomous bite to his sentences.

"Kat, yes. She would prove quite useful." Hana swayed slightly before sitting back down.

"Fabulous, and where would our lovely ladies be hiding?" He asked with the oddest hisses to his voice yet again.

Hana just pointed further to the back, pouring once again over the stack of documents that I could at last make out. Then the words struck me. Brian was asking questions he would know the answers to already. Efficiency, locations, and who was skilled at what. This was all rather unnerving, so I just had to keep on following.

I couldn't help but stare with a bit of hurt at the Queen as I passed by her, but she didn't even seem to notice that I walked through the room. Another oddity indeed, and this was beginning to form something I was not excited to learn more about.

Because of pausing by where Hana was seated, I missed the meeting and conversation with Brian and Kat, but I couldn't properly tell if she was under the same seeming influence as Hana or not. At least, I severely hoped that Brian had somehow enchanted Hana.

At last we reached the back doors to Theia's chambers. Brian strode into the room along with Kathryn, much to Theia's alarm. I stayed at the doors, peering in curiously but with a pang of worry.

I could just barely make out Theia glancing up to see her intruders. "Brian! What are you doing here?" Her eyes were literally flashing with light.

"You sound so utterly disappointed to see me." Brian snickers for a moment, then gestures towards Kat. "I even brought our friend Kathryn, in hopes of celebrating my return together."

"You act like I should be happy about this." Theia sneers with narrowed eyes. "Perhaps we should all celebrate after you've taken a shower."

Brian gasps dramatically. "Perhaps, you are the one tainted with filth..."

"What did you just say to me?" Theia shrieks loudly through the back corridors.

"He said, that you're a no good piece of trash!" Kat called from the side of room, half shadowed by the dark.

"You stay out of this!" Theia couldn't help but snarl viciously.

"Now now, my lovely ladies, how about we deal with this trifle more accordingly." A cruel smile perched on his lips, showing the cracks of death.

This prompted Theia to instinctively reach for the dog-tags around her neck. "What are you doing here, Brian?" She replied dangerously.

"I came to dance with the most beautiful girl in this dark, abysmal garden. Brian clenched his fists tightly, as I caught notice that he had no dog-tags himself. Theia seemed to catch sight of this as well.

"Did you now? You seem to have come rather unprepared." She pulled the dog-tags off her neck with slightly overdone casualness.

"Unprepared? For our dance, or your death?" *The confusion in Brian's voice was apparent.

"Pick one." Theia replied as she quickly strings her arrow and prepares to fire.

"Hmm, quite a nifty trick there. A toy bow on a string, how cute." Brian cackles wickedly, as Kat pulls off her dog-tags.

"Indeed. Would you like to see anther nifty trick?" Theia asks rhetorically.

The first arrow all but explodes with light when it's released, but Kat springs to life and slaps the arrow out of the air with her daggers. A well of darkness swallows the light completely, causing Brian to begin a new taunt.

"So n'eking melodramatic!" Kat huffs.

"How did...how dare you!" Theia stares in shock before nearly screaming in frustration.

"Ah, you see... She has some good uses after all." Brian cracks his knuckles slightly before slamming his fist into the wall, causing a fissure crack down it's whole side. "Can you

survive in darkness, against such overwhelming strength? I wonder."

"You seem to be forgetting something, Brian dear. I'm never in complete darkness." Comes the retort through bared teeth.

"Darkness will always black out the light!" Kat seethes back in response, slipping in and out of the shadows.

Theia glares in pure hatred. "I told you to stay out of this, you worthless..." Her words are cut off as Brian grips her from behind by the neck, squeezing violently.

"I surely hope our dance isn't yet over." This statement is a followed by a grunting sound as Brian is kicked in the leg with the back of Theia's heel. Kat lets out a soft laugh before momentarily blacking out the room with darkness.

"You little bug, come here to get squashed!" Brian slams his fist into the wall, just missing her head. Theia struggles to get a good position to fire another arrow, but can't seem to find one.

There are a flurry of curses in ancient Greek. "Damn these long-range weapons!"

Theia takes her arrow in hand and tries to stab him with it as he gets too close. Much to everyones shock, he allows himself to be stabbed, giving the close range to sucker punch Theia harshly.

"I'm not exactly feeling myself lately, perhaps you could help light things up in here." Brian taunts.

Theia doubles over in pain and as she struggles to breathe, a blinding flash of pure white light illuminates and heats the room.

"Kathryn, now!" Kat creates a large vacuum of darkness, to swallow up the light but drains herself almost completely of power.

"Such a shame... it seems she has run out of use."

I find myself in shock as Brian grabs Kat by the throat, snapping her neck and tossing her into Theia with force and a resounding thud. Theia is sent flying backwards, momentarily pinned under the dead weight of the lifeless girl, as she continues gasping for air.

"What...who are you?" Come out Theia's garbled words, as Brian approaches, grasping her head and lifting her high off the ground.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm everything that Brian will never be! I've come to crush the pathetic order that he's fought so hard to protect."

You can clearly see the death etched across his face, the horrible smell of decay from his breath. Her eyes widen as the horror starts to set in, I clench my fists tightly and grit my teeth as her eyes start to bulge.

"No... you can't be... it's not poss..." The choking sounds break the short silence of the room.

"Your dear Brian... I wonder how he's really faring, trying to explain himself to the demigods as we speak most likely." Brian slams her body into the wall as she chokes, until it starts going limp.

I hated the fact I could only watch, peering with my overcome curiosity. I burst forth into the room, causing this demonic illusion of Brian to release his hold on Theia. She crumples to the floor on top of the now dead, Kat. The cold yellow eyes glow in the room as he observes me for a moment, before swinging a vicious closed fist into my skull.

"She's not dead, just crushed... but don't worry, my friends will be arriving here soon." Brian growled as I slipped into the unconscious.

**A/N: I know, big cliffie again.. hope you guys loved this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it out. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone also, don't forget to read and review.**


	19. Beyond The Dawn

**A/N: Sorry for such a long delay in the story everyone, work and the holidays have been a busy and stressful time of year for me. I appriciate everyone who's stuck around and this extra long chapter hopefully makes up for the lack of anything lately. Love you all, and keep up the reviews please. Happy holidays.

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_**(Hana's P.O.V.)**_

I sat there, propped against the corner wall by the far back room of Mt. Tam and my mind seemed to be splitting itself right down the middle. I tried to focus, which wasn't entirely going that well, bringing up the events that had just transpired.

_Brian just kissed me. He's a jerk, forcing me to kiss him like that._

I cringed at the thought, shuddering slightly as I lightly whispered from inside myself.

"We both know that you enjoyed it, and would love him to do it again."

_Do you honestly think you can convince yourself, there is absolutely no desire there. He's not himself, this is just flat disgusting._

"I don't need to convince myself. Brian is just Brian. That moment was nothing but romantic..."

My whispers with myself, were cut off by the door swinging open with a loud crash, as it hit the wall.

"Oh, there you are darling." I paled at Brian's words for me. He seemed to look even more disgusting than just a couple minutes ago.

_Agh, he called us darling. I think I'm going to hurl all over the place, and what is with that putrid smell?_

"Quiet you!" I hushed at myself, gaining a curiously but glaring smile from the rather gruesome looking freak in front of me.

"Oh, no. I wasn't trying to say you needed to be quiet." I flinched a moment as he raised his hand quickly, but only brushed back his long dirty hair. It looked like it might be matted and unwashed been in months.

_Smooth one, Queenie. Why not just come out and say he's a hulk of rotting flesh. You still want to be close to him._

"Not for the same reasons you do." I hissed back at myself, but the large looming guy just laughed with a deathly shriek to it.

"I think we should go see the others, don't that sound so... appealing." Brian smiled through cracked lips, showing a few blackening teeth.

I felt as if I were being locked further within myself, and I wasn't sure how he was able cast such a spell over me.

"That sounds perfectly marvelous." I could hear myself admire him, slipping an arm through his.

_Gods, this can't be happening. Stop it. Unhand me. What did you do with Theia and Brock, you walking trash can._

Instead my thoughts barely registered to my charmed self, and I vaguely could hear a question escape that didn't sound like anything I had on my mind.

"You got rid of the others, so they won't be in the way of us, right?" I wanted to die as the words registered subconsciously.

_Us? What are you telling him, you idiot. There is no us, not with a weird Brian. No, not with any form of Brian._

"Oh, don't worry my dear. Nobody will ever interfere with our romance now." I felt an icy hand cup the side of my face, sending chills through me in a panic of fear.

I wasn't sure what was going to happen next, but with this internal division, I felt like a caged bird within myself. We seemed to walk for a couple of silent moments down the corridors before we ran into a group of our newer girls. Just my luck too, it was that girl Elise.

"Look there, girls. It seems that the big boy might already be claimed, such a disappointment." She laughed with a menacing tone directed at me, but I could feel myself just glaring at the group in a mix of spite and jealousy.

"You'd best stay away from him also, our court doesn't mix well with simple peasants."

Her face blanked and eyes widened, the look of shock on the faces of all three girls was apparent. Then Alexis stepped into our path down to the next chambers. Brian seemed slightly amused by this action and seemed to be humoring the group.

"Elise, Alexis and Kendall. What a splendidly enchanting trio you make."

I tried growling as Brian spoke, but nothing came as I stood like a stupid doll awaiting instructions.

"Ooh, do you really think so?" Elise asked, flirting back without any concern to the trouble she could be inviting.

_Snap out of it, pinhead. Can't you see he's not the real Brian._

The thought crashed into me like a ton of bricks slamming into my gut. Of course it made perfect sense, as much time as we'd spent with 'Brian' that this copy was a rather poor imitation. Okay, maybe he was a really good imitation, except for the one glaring flaw that only Brock, Theia and myself knew about.

_Oh.. it's so obvious now. He just eliminated the three of us. This doesn't look well at all._

"You say with a bit of flair there, finding anything to catch your eye?" The girls snickered within themselves at the flirting banter between the fake and Elise. Only Alexis seemed slightly rattled by it, but it didn't seem enough to shrug off her friends being deviously charmed.

"Perhaps we can sneak off somewhere to talk about it then?" I would have screamed and yelled, if it were possible. Instead, my pseudo-boyfriend just left me alone in the corridors, as he went off to only Tartarus knows, with the new girls.

_Earth to Hana. He's using some form of enchanting magic. You can't start thinking like that, or you'll end up like those twits._

I shrugged off the emotions as best as possible, but still felt in a sickening daze. I had to find someone who knew better, and the first people I thought of were Jace and Sam.

It seemed entirely too easy to find them, as it didn't take long to search a few rooms before I caught sight of them. Jace and Sam were both there with Chang and a small group of others.

I strained to see the boy who seemed to be half laying down, half rested against the wall uncomfortably. He had rather pleasant looking tanned skin, just a shade or so darker than Chang. I couldn't help but gaze in wonder, curiosity overwhelming all of my other senses. My eyes drifted towards the messy black hair that covered a battered and scared face. Then I caught the unmistakable silver eyes and I knew the resemblance immediately. Tajima Kou.

The boy sputtered and coughed slightly, but from everything the real Brian had told us before, we had somehow stumbled upon both of the ill-fated Dioscuri of the modern age.

"You're alive?" I heard myself say with a slight irritation in my voice.

Multiple heads turned to face me, as the head slightly turned itself and winced through a smile that leaked blood.

"I'm a tougher cookie to kill than that." The coughs erupted following the words, spilling blood that pooled into an already larger puddle on the floor.

I steeled myself and slightly gained my usual self, as I walked to the group. "Jace, you really should be treating him properly. I don't know how he's not dead, but he will be if you can't heal him from the inside."

"From the inside?" Chang asked with a look of worry sketched all over his face.

"Someplace pure, that can keep him hidden from Gods or Titans alike." Jace seemed to pick up on my meaning, as I replied to Chang.

"I think the Queen is referring to Ogygia, which is good in theory." Jace looked nervous about the idea.

"How do we get that kind of idea, past the General." Sam shifted momentarily on the ground, a bundle of rags and a bucket of bloody water to her side.

"First off, we need to properly heal him. I'm not sure how he's held together through everything so far, but we're just wasting time playing doctor now." I snapped at the group, uncharacteristically.

"That sounds great and all, but how do we exactly go about doing that." I stared at Chang, his question leaving me blank as to how to help effectively.

"What about Stella?" Jace asked with a small smirk.

"Not just Stella, though. Sam would need her potions book to administer the right touches to keep him surviving long enough." They all nodded at my words, now the hard part was presenting itself.

"So, how do we get to Ogygia? How do we convince Atlas to agree to this, and where is Stella?" Sam couldn't help but look nervous at all the questions.

"Sam, how about you hunt for Stella. I'll leave Chang to stay here with his brother, and meanwhile for Jace. You go to the back corridors, and collect what's in the far chamber. I'll deal with boulder-breath."

They all nodded and we split into our different directions, myself heading back to the main section of the black marble palace. It only took me a few minutes to reach the main section, and I slightly shocked to find it disturbingly empty, minus the grumbling Atlas on the far wall.

"Girl, come here and let me take a short break from this accursed weight." He halfway yelled through gritted teeth.

"As tempting as that sounds." I replied back sarcastically. "I came to ask suggest a simple idea, that might help our your cause more quickly."

His face strained with sweat, but the look from his eyes told me that I had his full attention.

_Don't blow things now, Hana. This is the best chance we've got at this trick._

Right before I could open my mouth to explain, the fake Brian sauntered into the room with a look like a starving dog that had just overeaten. I shivered and struggled to push all of those thoughts away vainly.

"Oh ho ho. What have we here now?" He smirked darkly, before glancing and making a slight bowing gesture towards Atlas.

"This girl was just about to offer an idea of how to progress out plans, son." I hated the torment I kept dealing with from inside of myself, but I was fully confident that this crumbling corpse was not anything close to our real Brian.

"You didn't kiss all of those annoying girls, did you?" I heard myself asking as the fake stepped closer to me, his disgustingly death aura seeping into my skin.

_What? We don't have time to ask about the silly girls who don't know any better. Focus, Hana, focus._

"Jealous, my dear? I promise I can show you exactly what they missed out on later." The poser flashed a mix of smile and snarl, as I averted my eyes to the side.

_Who would ever be jealous of some dirty worm, like you? Eww.. you better no ever come near my chambers either, sicko!_

"We can more intimately discuss that option later." My body leaned into his kiss, making my scream from the inside as his lips felt like creepy crawlies.

"Haha, good. Now, please enlighten us with this idea of yours." I forced myself to focus harder than ever, or I'd end up suggest something entirely wrong.

"My idea..." I forced out slowly, much to both their amusement. "Is that we take the severely wounded, along with the garbage and dump them somewhere secret, for safety and insurance."

I huffed for a moment, the words finally spilling their way out at last. The fake Brian just looked up at Atlas with a vacant expression. It took a couple of moments before Atlas did reply with a growl.

"Yes, taking out the trash would be ideal, but where do you suggest, girl?"

This was the best part of the plan, in my opinion. "Ogygia. The Gods tend to forget about that isolated island, and it's large enough to stash plenty of bodies we never want found."

They both jumped lividly at the idea, but something seemed off with their expressions. Had I missed a vital piece of information.

"Very articulate thinking, girl. You shall gather up the usurper's and once presented to me, I shall dispatch them to Ogygia. Now, make yourself scarce." He snarled unpleasantly, and I wasted no time in rushing down into the corridors.

I kept going until I collided with Cassie, both of us toppling to the floor is heaps.

"Oh, excuse me. I didn't see anyone there." Cassie blushed lightly as she apologized.

"Cassie, is something the matter, you look flustered?" She hesitated to my question a moment before answering.

"We bumped into Jace a while back, and he asked to see you. Something seemed terribly wrong though." I nodded at her explanation, but I knew I couldn't dare explain what was happening yet.

"I'll handle it, so please go find Arty and the others and tell them to stay in their quarters until morning." She looked at me with a twist of worry on her face, but nodded and smiled before giving me a quick hug and rushing back off.

It took a couple more minutes to run across Sam and Chang, who informed me that Jace was being helped out with Stella. There was a bit of a problem with what Jace stumbled across. Jace was setting down Brock on the floor, and he had a nasty gash running across his forehead. I couldn't help but gasp, then pale when I saw Theia next.

She was batter badly, her body looked like it'd had the life snuffed out from it and I vaguely remembered a conversation with Brian before he kissed me. I had given him the idea, the means to do the job. The levity of the situation nearly swept me off my feet and then I saw the third victim, Kathryn, who was being carried out by Stella.

I quickly rushed to the group and looked at Jace with an air of panic. He quickly caught me by the shoulders and made me look at him.

"Hana, that thing is a beast. He easily took out Theia, Brock and Kat. Whatever he is, it's apparent what he isn't."

I nodded back in response without admitting out loud I was partially responsible. Then my attention turned to Stella, who was busy checking for vital signs.

"There is a hope, my lady." She stated coolly. "Brock will recover shortly enough, and Theia is in a more severe condition.. but somehow, Kat is also barely breathing."

I stared in disbelief before the thought had it's way to worm into my brain fully. Jace however got an idea of what happened much quicker.

"There is still a bit of luck then." We both looked at him oddly.

"Luck? How so?" I asked more forcefully than intended.

"It appears that, this dead copy of Brian, is incapable of doing something beyond the means of the original." Jace stated proudly, but I didn't entirely grasp the concept yet.

It was the voice from the shadows that explained it out with an alarming malice.

"For whatever reason, this Nega-Brian, can't kill any of us. He can't override the wishes of the real Brian, who he was modelled after."

I spun around to find a shaken looking Trevor. So this is where he had disappeared to in the last couple of hours.

"Nega-Brian, I kind of like that title for it." Jace smirked defiantly. "Can you spare a minute to help us with the bodies?"

Trevor just shook his head and slipped back down the opposite corridor. I was left staring at Jace and Stella, as we each hefted a body and began our procession march back to the Nega-Brian and Atlas.

As we got closer we heard the unmistakable shouting from Trevor. He was cursing up a storm at the imposter, and demanding answers. in a violent, rash manner. The walls occasionally rattled with impact, that could only be that of fighting. When we finally rounded the corner, the horror became evident. Trevor was almost on all fours, with nasty skid marks across the floor from the multiple times he'd been smashed across it by the undead freak.

I was shocked at how he could take such a violent beating, when Atlas laughed before he noticed us arrive.

"You have quite the fight in you, boy. Much more than you're pathetic leaders did."

Trevor made another charge at the Nega, but the result seemed futile. He was slammed in the chest and sent skidding a wall across the room. This time he didn't seem to try and get back up.

"Stay there, and we will let you live today." the Nega snarled. "If you use that ferocious spirit for us, you're precious Duchess will continue to live."

Trevor just stayed rested on the wall, spiting out a clump of blood. I cleared my throat to draw as much attention from him as possible.

_Go now, you idiot. Get back and recover before they decide to kill you anyway._

He got the hint, slipping silently away safely, as we dropped off the unconscious bodies nearly Atlas. As if on a well timed cue, Sam and Chang brought in Tajima and did the same.

As Atlas looked over the four bodies, Chang had a lingering thought that he made known.

"What of the other Knights?"

Atlas and the Nega both scoffed at the remark. I had totally forgotten about them, myself.

"Do you think hiding dead bodies will do any good?" Atlas laughed with that stone grimace on his face.

Chang just bowed up defensively as he growled hatefully.

"Oh, has the spineless pup finally grown some claws. You are too deep in this catastrophic life, to ever think you will survive unscathed or whole. You're attempts are insignificant and insane." the Nega cooed with a metal screech to his words.

Chang just smiled for brief moment, before laughing slightly. I swore he finally was losing it, not that I could entirely blame him after everything the poor guy must have been through. That didn't seem to be what was happening as he left me stunned by his response.

"Sometimes, insanity is the only alternative." Chang grinned with an eerie malice.

"Fine!" Atlas boomed, cutting off all of the banter. These four, plus the boy's other two will all be transported to the cursed isle." Atlas glared and strained at all of us.

"Stella and Sam too." Jace blurted out indignantly, but Atlas agreed with a grumble and that seemed to close the whole matter at once.

"Leave me be, annoying pups. Go and nurse your wounds and rest well before the next step reveals itself soon." Atlas grunted and growled, as we scurried back into the corridors with haste.

I didn't want to stick around and listen to the conversation that would surely take place before too long between the Nega and Atlas, so I let myself slip back down the paths to the isolation of the backroom chamber. I lighted the walls softly, painfully glancing over all of the blood, cracks and fissures in the room from the battle.

_**(Adara's P.O.V.)**_

It had been quite a while since I'd participated in any formal activity or council with the other cabin leaders and demigods. Yet here we were, in the biggest group together since the day Chang showed up at camp.

I looked around the table and crowded tent. Nico, Clarisse, Fumio and Reed from the Knights, Travis and Connor, Michael from Hephaestus and Taylor from Nemesis. Even the Aphrodite leader, Victoria was present. It seemed the only people missing were Chiron, Percy and Thalia.

Everyone sat in a bit of an awkward silence for the minutes that passed as we waiting anxiously to hear what was going to happen next. Grover and Tyson came in first, along with Chiron, who was quickly followed by a bickering Percy and Thalia. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at them.

At last a final, much larger man entered behind them. Such dark features and long, flowing hair. I couldn't help but think how he looked so familiar to me, but I didn't ever remember seeing him before.

"I still don't see why you need to include him in this." Thalia spewed with frustration.

"Child, to close this chapter out properly, you need know all of the facts." Chiron retorted amidst the quiet crowd.

"I don't 'need' to know any extra facts. We won, end of chapter." Thalia glared back, Percy looking slightly exhausted from the argument that was taking place.

"Maybe it's best if you listen to what he has to say..." Percy sheepishly offered, to which Thalia stared him down with a loathing intent.

"Or perhaps, listen to who he is." A feminine voice struck through the air, giving way to the face of an unmistakable blond, Annabeth.

"What do you mean, Annabeth?" Thalia asked incredulously with a frustrated glare.

"I mean, Thalia, that I've seen him before." The reply came back just as curtly.

"He has been around the camp quite a bit lately, if the reports hold accurate." Thalia snapped back.

"No, I mean from like a textbook. I've read about him, I'm fairly sure." Annabeth took a chair and waited for a reply that didn't come back from Thalia.

Nico cleared his throat softly. "Chiron, would you like to begin?"

Chiron looked around the table slightly nervous, before beginning.

"Annabeth would be correct. Our guest is in fact my cousin, and while mostly omitted from the Greek myths and stories, he holds a place within a slightly different set of tales."

Chiron took a slight pause, allowing any concerns and thoughts to be heard.

"So, you mean... he's ancient, just not Greek?" Percy asked with a furrowed brow.

A few glances were cast around the room as people put two and two together, or at least tried to. I finally couldn't bear the knowledge, and the fact none of the Knights were talking.

"He's a Roman god." I blurted out, with a bit more force than I wanted.

Talk about awkward. It took a few moments before I was asked how exactly I knew all of this.

"It's rather simple..." I started out nervously. "I spent a lot of time with the Knights, before I ever made it to the camp."

It was Clarisse who growled out the next sentence harshly. "You don't mean to imply, that the Knights aren't Greek also, do you?"

Fumio was about to begin to answer, when the guest cut him off with a wave of his hand.

"Adara is right. I am like the Roman version of Chiron, essentially. The Knights, are also demigods like you, but they are Roman children."

Thalia didn't seem overly thrilled with the new revelations. "So why reveal yourselves now? You tricked us all into thinking that we were just helping a group of demigods like us. Not some Roman rejects who pick fights with entire armies. The only one of you had any sort of brains, you drove away mad. You're just a bunch of stupid Roman dogs."

She knocked her chair over as she stood up and stormed out of the tent, Percy hesitating and apologizing before following her reluctantly out. We could easily hear her screaming at him from just outside the tent, but he didn't come back to the council.

Chiron waited a moment before picking up the tale. "This is the Roman immortal, Barrick. God of heroes."

"Aye, and I believe everyone is due the truth now." Barrick cut in, placing a hand on Chiron's shoulder.

"During the last battle in Manhattan that you all endured against Kronos, we waged a similar war on this side of the states. Unfortunately for us, Kronos had a better idea on how to deal with our demigods. The Knights have been off hunting ancient armies that Kronos had been reviving for the last few years. The last of these were the Trojans."

Everyone seemed stunned, as Fumio interjected as Brian paused. "Technically, with most of our best warriors fighting all over the place, our camp was divided. Eventually, we suffered a similar attack as yours, but aside from the few in hiding now, all of us have become Knights."

The two Knights hung their heads, as a momentary silence crept back across the council. Brian Barrick continued once again.

"The small group I led before, are outcasts, like Zoe Nightshade was. There are the unfortunate kids of Titans, who wants nothing to do with their parents who sired them. They are the Lux et Veritas. They generally try to monitor things like Atlas and the state of the west, and keep any too many bad occurrences from all springing up at once."

Just outside the tent, unknown to all of us at the council, Percy and Thalia sat hushed listening to the stream of information about it all.

"We must quickly depart this place and make our way to Olympus though. There is much to be done, and Percy needs to fully assume his duties as a God."

Annabeth couldn't help but know the question burning inside her head. "How come, if your name is Barrick, that you also refer to yourself as Brian. Most Gods don't really bother with modern mortal names."

"Ah.. well, when I first came across the current group for the Veritas, they suggested it best to keep my unrevealed to the younger members." Brian Barrick started in as to reply.

"Their leader, a girl named Theia, came up with the idea to rename me and make me seem like them. Thus she also took it upon herself to give everyone that joined us, similar nicknames. Nobody would suspect anything as much, if our whole collection had similarly fashioned names from the girl in charge. We setup a similar command structure and council much like a cross between the Knights and your own camp."

"Hmm... she sounds rather clever, but nobody really thinks of you as anything else." Nico curiously puzzled at the thought.

"I have a lot of practice being ordinary, and it helps having to leave often to deal with godly problems. Nobody puts much thought into it, because of the 'errands' I usually take on."

Chiron stood up and stretched out slightly, announcing that the council was at an end, and had learned everything it needed. Thalia and Percy quickly scurried off back to their tent.

_**(Percy's P.O.V.)**_

Once we got back to the tent, we began to process the information as Thalia and myself sat on the bed, slightly clutching hands. Roman demigods was a rather big announcement, but it seemed like such an unfortunate way to live. Only hunting down armies and being isolated from everyone else in the world.

"Are you alright, Thals?" I found myself asking as I softly cupped her face into my hands before kissing her forehead.

"How can the gods keep such a big secret from us all. Not only that, but think of the burden someone like Chang has gone through."

She rested against me, as I held her tight, softly running my hands through her hair.

"Their home was wiped out, and nobody ever bothered to lift a finger to help them. Are our parents that cruel to their Roman children?"

I had no answers for her, I just held onto her tightly as we sat there quietly for what seemed an eternity in itself. Finally, the idea popped into my head, the one that needed to be done first.

"Thalia, I need you with me. We can return back to camp now, and then would you consider marrying me?"

She leaned into me, softly planting a kiss on my lips.

"I wanted to before, you kelp head. So yes, as soon as we get back, let's get married first thing."

I couldn't help but smile and kiss her back just as deeply. "We can still make a difference, even for the Romans. I believe that no demigod should ever have to feel neglected, I still believe that."

I kissed her once more, before we had a surprise group of visitors in the tent.

"Lord Hermes, Lady Aphrodite, Lady Artemis."

"How touching, this is the day I've been waiting so long for." Aphrodite crooned at us.

"Yes, yes." Hermes cut her off before she could get started into all her rants about love and us being perfect together, or about how she always suspected we would end up together and that she was glad she thought of it first.

"We will let your parents both know and start making the proper arrangements at last. Everyone needs a bit of a celebration to cheer up the mood lately. A wedding between our favorite heroes would be ideal." Hermes finished and backed out of the way for Artemis.

"Thalia, sister, just know that I don't think ill of you for wanting this. I'm keeping an honorary spot for you in the Hunters, but we will need to pick out your replacement rather soon."

The godly trio departed just as quickly as I pulled Thalia back in close and kissed her once again deeply. "Now, my love, we start to rebuild."

_**(Artyom's P.O.V.)**_

I stayed crouched against the wall, hugging it tightly as I eavesdropped on the jerk Brian and Atlas in the main room. Something hadn't seemed right about him lately, and I was intent on finding out exactly what it was. All of the recent activity though, made it quite difficult to do any proper spying.

"Have you completed the next task, son?" Atlas gritted and boomed.

"Yes, the are ready to appear at last." the Nega stated with his usual broken rasp.

"Good, present me with my new subjects. Ones who will support me without question."

As Atlas stated this, a creepy black mist began to swirl around the entrance to Mt. Tam. The next thing was even more startling, as shrouded figured began to walk out of the mist, a total of eight figures broke into the room with cloaks and hoods. As if on cue, each slowly pulled the hoods back one by one to reveal themselves, and then proceeded to bow before Atlas.

"Good, and now properly identify yourselves." Atlas commanded, but Brian offered the introductions instead.

"You're already familiar with the first two, so let's save them for last." Brian paused and composed himself with a bit of an eerie excitement.

"First, we have two sons of Apollo. Lee Fletcher and Michael Yew." The undead boys stood up when presented.

"Next, we have Ethan Nakamura, son of Nemesis and Charles Beckendorf, son of Hephaestus." The pair followed suit as the first two, when introduced.

"As for our lovely ladies. Silena Beauregard, daughter of Aphrodite. Bianca di Angelo, daughter of Hades." The girls also said nothing when presented to their new master.

"This brings us back to the two you're familiar with, father." Brian paused slightly before continuing. "My lovely sister, Zoe, and of course we can't forget the last. Luke Castellan."

Brian made a grand gesture as if he were simply welcoming lost friends or dinner guests. "Welcome back to the land of the living, we hope you enjoy your stay this time around."

The palace was filled with a haunting laughter, as I raced off to find anyone I could tell about this. I started to panic as I couldn't seem to find anybody for a good couple of minutes, until I bumped into Jace and Hana at last.

"What's the matter, Cody. You look as though you've seen a ghost." Jace asked me with a smile.

"I have just seen a ghost... more like eight of them to be exact." I huffed out the sentence, with a new sense of dread creeping across us all.

Hana gripped me sternly by the shoulders and sat me down. "Tell me everything that's going on."


	20. The Starless Night

**A/N: Hope this chapter finds everyone well, but please don't be disappointed in how it goes. I'll let you read things for yourself, and leave a fitting note at the end to explain more. Sincerely, Jack.**

* * *

_**(Stella's P.O.V.)**_

It had only been a few days since we've been spirited away to the formerly cursed island of Ogygia. The nymphs who had most likely preferred to stay permanently on the island, informed us that Calypso was about seeing the world, but she would return shortly.

"Shortly, right. They're only immortal, so a couple hundred years might be rather quick for them." I couldn't help but whisper to Sam, who was next to me.

She was basically my only active company. Theia, Brock and Kathryn hadn't recovered themselves yet, and were all in varying states of health. The only conscious one we had, was Tajima. Boy could he be a real pain at times too.

I felt a vague pain of sympathy for him though, knowing that his family had been wiped out by our parents. It made being around him slightly uncomfortable, with his unforgiving silver eyes and that terrible stench of death that constantly hung off him.

"Stels, try to just be patient with the guy... Hana suspects he might be mentally unstable or something."

I forced myself not to roll my eyes at the comment, Sam was just trying to help after all. Just some of the stares and glares he gave me, screamed that he wanted nothing more than to rip my throat out and eat my heart. I shivered at the mere thought of such actions.

"Think he'll be alright til morning?" I puzzled at Sam, who just gave a slight nod yes.

"He might seem hostile, but I suspect that he's a bit hurt and scared some." I wasn't fully sure if she was trying to convince herself or me. I let the issue go and we both headed away from the makeshift medical shelter that the nymphs had helped build with us.

I had a rather difficult time catching those sheep, hoping vainly that I could drift into a decent sleep. Instead, I was fully jarred awake by the shadows crossing across the beach. My insides burned violently, alerting me that something was going wrong and quickly.

"Sam.." I tried to whisper back to the redhead. "Sam, get up please.." Another whisper, but she just rolled away from me defiantly in her sleep.

_Oh gods. This surely can't be something pleasant._

The thought burns through my head as I catch the slightly limping figure head inside the shelter, and I know that I must get a closer appraisal of this. It takes some time for the person to resurface, which confirms my fear of it being Tajima. I had managed to sneak to the back of the shelter, where I can clearly see and hear the commotion.

Tajima drags a small, lithe body a few yards away from my hiding spot. The next few moments seem to drag endlessly into the night. Tajima gives a squeeze to the victim's throat, popping their eyes open. It's Kathryn. She seems groggy and dazed but awake, and the startled expression indicates that she hasn't fully realized what is taking place yet.

"Ah, sweet Kathryn, it's been such a long time since we've seen each other." I could hear the boy speaking in louder tones, making sure he was well understood by her.

"Not long enough, you asshole." Kat snaps back indignantly at him.

"Is that any way to treat someone so close to you?" He snarled back into her ear, which caused a slight nervous jerk from her.

"If I remember correctly, you ditched me when you learned about my parents." Kat hissed with a touch of scorned malice.

Tajima spun the girl around, and before she could regain her growing balance, he planted a deep kiss on her lips. I nearly guffawed out loud, which would have surely blown my cover. Still, I was rather amazed to see the interaction between the two. As he pulled back from the kiss, he was greeted with a loud slap across his cheek.

"You really are such an asshole. You think because we're on some island getaway that you can just pick things up from so long ago?" Her voice was nearly seething, but her left hand made a slow attempt to grasp his.

"No, I unfortunately don't have time to be romantic. Especially not with you." Tajima paused slightly for dramatic effect before smirking darkly in the pale moonlight. "I'm here for your head, my love."

I blinked wide eyed in astonishment, seeing Kat take a noticeable step backwards from her former lover. Her voice trembled slightly as she tried to address his sentiments.

"For my head? You mean to kill me?"

"No, not just you, but everyone else." Tajima smiled back as he spit out the venomous words.

Quicker than lightning, his right knee lifted and landed into Kat's stomach. As she began to double over herself, he withdrew the hunting knife from the right boot. It had been such a fast sequence that I don't think she ever saw it coming. The knife firmly planted into her chest as she bent forward to catch her breath.

I had replay the image in my head multiple times before it actually made full sense. His speed was frightening, more so than I could ever recall glimpsing or hearing about from others. Kat staggered into him, as she coughed up a waterfall of blood into the sand.

"Why.." she coughed again, another gush of blood drained from her mouth and lips. "At least.. tell me why.."

I cringed and wished I could tear myself away, but I stayed fixated on the events unfolding in front of me as he began to confess everything.

"It was nearly three years ago, when your family wiped out the Roman demigods camp. I'm sure you remember those events well enough, I repeat them every night I sleep." Tajima gave a small pause before continuing. "I made it out with my brother and Knights, but no gods ever tried to lend a single finger to help us or ease the pain. We were nearly crushed under the weight of everything, the pain was excruciating and unbearable at the best of times."

Kat was slumped against his body, clinging onto his shirt tightly. He stood there like a statue as she fought for just a few more moments in the moonlight.

"I have to do my family justice, to even the scores. I must take my revenge on your family now.."

His words were heavy in the air, as we both figures absorbed the fleeting seconds of night that were left to them. Kat reached up with a bloody hand and ran it over his cheek slowly.

"Do they know how much you suffer for them?" She asked but gained no response back from the stoic boy. "No, I'm sure none of them do. Yet you still descend deeper into the nightmare, why?"

Another cough, more violent than the previous escapes and causes a last fit of blood to gush from her mouth and chest. Before the darkness consumes them both, they share one final moment of peace together.

"Kathryn, I'm so sorry.. I couldn't ever let you witness what I must do next. I'm sorry for all of the pain I've caused you, even now."

A slow, steady stream of tears dropped onto the increasingly pale face of the dying girl. She just looked up and smiled lovingly.

"Tajima, it's okay. I forgive you."

Kat dropped limply into Tajima's arms, as he crumpled onto the sand with her. I stayed motionless as he held onto the dead body tightly, before softly whispering a final goodbye.

"Kathryn, please wait for me.. I promise it won't be long before I come to be with you at last."

I slowly paced towards the figures on the blood stained beach. As I got within a few feet, he turned slowly to meet my gaze. Those once silver eyes had seemed to have died with Kat. They appeared dull, faded and black. I was shocked to see him so lethargic, but it was unnerving to say the least.

"I'm not sure what to really do with you." I stated more bluntly than I meant.

He just nodded and stayed kneeling in the sands, blood having drenched his clothes and body thoroughly. I couldn't help but feel sorry for him in way.

"Go and wash up before the sunrise." This was met with a soft no, before he stood up slowly and carried the body up a hill, towards a grassy hill that overlooked the endless sea.

"The least I can do, is bury her properly." I waited silently as he refused any help with the task, taking a good half hour to complete his private funeral.

He left for the beach, I presumed going to clean up and then I could contain him to prevent any more mishaps while Theia and Brock healed. I was still slightly shaken by the events, but I approached the grave marker and a sad realization slammed into me as I read the inscription.

_Kathryn Rothe and Tajima Kou. Sumus littore aeternam. Finis tantum inchoata._

"We stand eternal on this shore. Our end has only begun." I couldn't help but read the Latin scribble, out loud, as I felt a hand rest kindly on my shoulder.

I turned to find Sam standing beside me, with a solemn look on her face. After a moment of consolation for our fallen friend, I remembered the shore and turned to look at where Tajima was last.

"What is it, Stels?" Sam asked curiously.

I could only point, open mouthed at the empty beach, and the lone figure making an attempt to swim off into the sunset.

"Tajima.. he's going back to confront Atlas. I believe." The words flew out of my mouth, as I thought of everything exchanged on the beach this night.

"It's possible to make it there, by water I mean, right?" Sam looked at me, slightly worried.

"I think so. The island's curse was lifted, so we should be somewhere in the pacific really." My reply left me shrinking away from the next incoming question.

"We won't see him again, will we?"

"No, I don't ever suspect we will." I told Sam back sadly.

We both sat on the beach silently until the sunrise transformed the water with vibrant colors and hues. I clutched at the hand of my friend, the feeling I was sure that was inside both of us was simple. As the dawn crested fully onto our borrowed island, the shore blazed up in a hazy silver light and I remembered the new blackness of his eyes. That boy was going to embrace his peace, and die doing so.

_**(Artyom's P.O.V.)**_

I sat silently as our makeshift council met in the furthest corridor that felt comfortable, for us at the moment. Hana, Jace, and Trevor were waiting to see if Cassie or Amara would show up before we got down to the latest surge of information. At what seemed like the last possible moment, Cassie arrived with a small entourage. Amara and Aaron paced quietly on her heels.

"We don't need this to be a full blown secret." Trevor snapped impatiently as they got situated around the small room.

"This is our whole remaining court, plus the only other male we have." Cassie shot back with a hint of irritation.

"Now, everyone is a bit on edge, but we need to address out matters in the correct order." Hana interjected with her usual diplomatic approach. "So then, you've presented some potentially disturbing news, Cody."

I shifted with a touch of nervousness, gulping down the dryness in my throat. This was a now or never moment.

"Atlas is bringing back dead heroes." I stammered my small phrase out, as I had earlier informed Jace and Hana.

"What exactly, do you specify a dead hero to be?" Aaron asked with a hint of doubt.

"I assume that you mean, as zombie type resemblances." Trevor smirked with a twist of worry on his face.

"No, those weren't zombies." I stated back flatly, making many expressions rush into a state of shock.

"Fully functional beings, right?" Hana asked as she rubbed her palms fiercely.

"Yes, but they didn't totally seem like themselves." I managed another struggling answer, as we all worked to piece together the truth.

"You mean like Alchemy?" I hear the gasp from Amara, at her implication, but it's Hana who replies back.

"In a basic sense yes, but this seems to be more on par with a darker kind of ritual..." The words were simple enough but left the ominous meaning in the small room.

"That's the not quite the part that entirely bothers me most." I blurt out after a few moments of silence and thought.

"Well, what is the thing that bothers you more?" Jace finally voiced his concern.

"Brian.. or whoever he really is, is an Empousa."

The room grew a faint chill, the faces of my friends seemed to ice over before Cassie broke yet another silence.

"You mean to say, that the weird looking Brian we have, is actually one of those vampire things?"

I nodded and Hana and Trevor both seemed to agree on my proclamation.

"Given the things we recently learned about our impostor, this actually sheds a lot of light on many things. Such as Atlas, and our undead-friends." Trevor replied snarkily.

"I wouldn't really call any of them friends, and we still have to figure out how to deal with the lot of them." I added to Trevor's outburst.

"Especially with a good portion of us trying to recover and our overall power a bit limited right now." Cassie said with a smile, finishing my thought for me.

"Okay, so I think it's best if we pair ourselves together for the time being." Hana announced as she sought to divide us into partner teams for the time being. "The obvious teams of Amara and Aaron, and Cody and Cassie will hold in place. We'll have to bet on the younger girls relying on themselves for the moment. I'll stay here, and Trevor and Jace can alternate paired with me and each other. I think at least three of us should remain in this chamber at all times though."

We all consented to the hasty, but sound plan. Without the girl pledges, we had a total of seven, but hopefully we could find them before the Nega managed to sink his teeth into them. Our best option now was just to collect information, stay as invisible as possible and just wait.

"Now would be the best time to rest, we might not be getting a whole lot of it later on." Jace said dryly, but understood and agreed.

_**(Percy's P.O.V.)**_

After everything that had happened since the last time I had set foot at Camp Half-Blood, or even back on Olympus, the rushing week since we'd arrived back was far hectic than any kind of modern or medieval war. I was a bit taken back at how everything just kept on functioning so smoothly around camp, despite our long departure.

The demigods were scattered all over the place, quite literally. The Hunters were staying in Artemis's cabin eight, and the Knights had volunteered themselves to take up residence within our expansive forest. A forest that seemed to magically stretch to sometimes outrageous sizes, but since godhood I now understood the entire borders for it. It was true that the Knights had suffered some serious and heavy setbacks, but that didn't seem to phase them very much, and they camped just on the edge of the woods with ease.

I made out the newer cabins as I passed them on the way towards the big house. I honestly hadn't paid a great deal of attention as I scanned over each one, making note for future reference to the additions. Aside from the original twelve and the more obvious cabins like Hestia, Hades and Persephone, I paused a moment to think of which they were and count them up. Iris, Hypnos, Hecate, Eros, Nemesis, Heracles and Hebe were all the final inclusions, which put the count at twenty-two cabins total.

I grinned to myself with a slight inward pleasure, feeling glad that camp was no longer exclusive to just the Olympian council of gods. As I crossed the last threshold of the cabins territory, I ran into a fairly younger boy with medium tanned skin and a slightly dirty appearance. He looked as if he had just gotten finish working in a garden or rolling around in a field of dirt, but he smiled energetically at me.

"Lord Percy?" He asked with a mild note of hesitation.

"I certainly hope so, but the lord bit still is slightly uncomfortable to me." I tried to offer kindly.

"Right.." he shifted for a moment, but once again broke into a friendly smile. "Lady Clarisse, she asked me to come fetch you."

I couldn't help but laugh as I placed the boy as one of the younger demigods from Ares. "So what's your name then, and what did she need to see me about, exactly?"

The smile was replaced by an overly nervous look, as if someone might be eavesdropping on us.

"She wanted you to meet her in the arena, said it was urgent." The dark haired boy paused and silently poked into the ground with his foot. "My name is Carlos."

"Well, care to join me on the way to the arena then, Carlos?"

He agreed with a slight nod as we changed direction, and destination, heading away from the big house. Clarisse was sparing with a whole group of Ares kids, making me just a little on edge when I arrived.

"Took long enough, punk. Pops told me that we're to serve as an honor guard of some sort, with all the crazy activity brewing up lately." She half-snarled but in a friendly manner, if that is at all possible.

"Who exactly is included in this?" I found myself instinctively asking.

"Myself, of course. As well as Katie, Nyssa, Drew, Adara, Kayla, Carmen and Annabeth. We're meant to accompany you for the wedding, and all that other stuff." She looked rather irritated with the position.

"Uh, why are you all girls, though?" I shifted back and forth on my weight.

"Aphrodite's idea. Thalia's group is made up of a bunch of boys, but that idea didn't go over entirely well with Artemis. So her guards have to remain a good distance away from her." She stated back smugly.

"Wow, that's confusing." I couldn't help but admit, but made me wonder for a moment nervously. "So, you're my escorts."

"You always make things sound so girly, Prissy." Clarisse snapped back with a smile.

"Okay, okay. Lead the way then." I gestured, getting a shove as she walked past me.

"Now, onto the big house. We have to get you up to Olympus." Clarisse wasn't wasting any time, making me hurry to catch up.

We had arrived at shortly after, to find the before mentioned collection of girls in various states of annoyance, debating with Chiron as to why they had to undertake this task.

"This is humiliating, Chiron." I could hear the familiar voice of Annabeth trying not to yell.

"To you, maybe, but some of us actually might like the thought of escorting Percy." Drew added back dryly, which I'm sure caused Annabeth a bit more distress.

"Don't get me started on you, Drew. You're only out for the glory of attaching yourself to the best available opportunity that comes along." The fight seemed as if it was going to escalate before Chiron and some of the other girls were trying to break it up.

As I neared the porch steps, a gloved hand pulled me off the side abruptly.

"Stay quiet for a moment." The voice calmly informed me, before I could around to confirm my suspicions on who it was.

"Clarisse, it took you long enough." One of the girls called out, who I assumed to be Katie.

"Yeah, now let's get this mess over with." This reply was met with a couple of groans, which prompted a few quiet inquiries.

"Aren't you missing someone?" Annabeth mocked lightly at Clarisse.

"Gah.. that brat was just behind me. Where could he have gone off to already." Clarisse fumed, before Chiron instructed the makeshift team to go search and retrieve me.

As the girls scrambled back off away from the big house, I turned around to meet a sheepishly smiling Thalia.

"Looks like I caught you just in time. I gave my group of annoying escorts the slip only a short while ago. It's good to finally be able to see you." She said, while softly wrapping her arms around my waist, protectively.

"It's been rather frustrating with not being able to spend much time with you lately, since we've gotten back." I admittedly gushed, giving her a playful kiss on the lips.

"Alright, you two." Chiron called out to nobody in sight, but directed at us in hiding. "I think you'll have an easier time hiding in the house."

We both laughed as we snuck up to see the camp director and trainer. Chiron led us both into the house and through to a back study type of library room.

"What's with all the theatrics?" Thalia asked, clutching on my hand tightly.

"I suspect Aphrodite might be trying to spice up the events for the wedding a little." He calmly offered with a mock indifference.

"That doesn't explain why we haven't really been given much time to see each other." I remarked with some exasperation.

"I know, but if you both hurry up and get ready, then you can depart before the other can catch back up." Chiron said with an apologetic smile.

I pulled on Thalia's hand tightly as we raced up the stairs in a hurry, and burst into the room to began grabbing a quick supply of items and changing clothes. In the midst of everything crazy that had been laid out in the last couple months, I couldn't help but smile and watch the girl for a few silent moments before she caught notice.

"Percy, what's the matter?" she looked and asked with a smile flicker of worry in her eyes.

"Nothing." I said while taking a step closer to her and softly cupping her cheeks. "I just thought.. that maybe this is one of those moments, that I don't want to ever let go of."

She looked confused for a brief moment, in which I planted a soft kiss on her forehead. This caused her to start smiling before we both began to laugh quietly. It was ideal, the moment of just us together, but it wouldn't be one to last very long. A very boisterous and noisy group of girls erupted downstairs.

"Chiron, we've checked all over camp." Katie started in.

"With nothing to show for it, except to find that Thalia is missing now too." Clarisse continued, with more irritants in her voice.

"We think that you're harboring them. So fess up, you got them hiding, right?" Annabeth demanded accusingly.

"Now, now. Children, please." Chiron was about to start in, when we both rushed down the stairs and out of the big house.

Everyone stood in the big meeting room, stunned, as we had forced our way quickly through them while laughing and taken off towards the fleece and camp borders. I took a glance back to see the pursuing party, yelling for us to come back and behave properly. We were both slightly out of breath when we reach Peleus, but took the moment to rest as the girls started to make up ground in our direction.

"Thalia, close your eyes and hang on." I smiled to her, before shouting down towards the approaching mob of escorts. "You might want to all look away."

I laughed a bit more before I willed us to transport to the the Empire State Building in New York. I didn't want to just suddenly arrive atop Olympus just yet, and father had already warned me to arrive slowly so preparations could be made first.

"Well, once we go up, I don't think I'll get to see you again until tonight." I said with a soft kiss.

I swiped the key for the elevator and held onto Thalia tightly before the mayhem would ensue. As the doors dinged open, Aphrodite and her cohorts were already awaiting us eagerly.

"Now, let's get you two separated so we can begin to get everything ready." She started in, leading Thalia away from me as I stood there watching them head off to Aphrodite's palace.

I didn't notice Apollo clap me on the shoulder, smiling broadly. "Couldn't have picked a better girl, it's a bit of a shame she's going to be off the market now."

I glanced in a bit of disbelief before smiling at him. "She was already off the market to begin with, or did you forget that she's Artemis's lieutenant."

We both laughed at both our remarks, as Hermes came up with a message from Poseidon. "They want you to get ready at Poseidon's palace here on Olympus, everything is already setup for your big moment."

"Big moment, right." I said, aware that I was becoming more nervous by the moment. "This totally trumps saving the world from Kronos and the Titans."

We all laughed again, Apollo heading with me to my dads palace. Once inside, Aphrodite checked on how things were momentarily before whisking away again. Apollo stood there with Poseidon and Dionysus, as we all made small talk about how things were doing. After about an hour, Aphrodite returned, ready to doctor me up as she had so kindly put it.

"Alright, everyone out of the room while I work on the young groom for a bit."

A moment later, a small group of attendants began fussing over me left and right. All I could do was sit and bear it, while Aphrodite prepared me for my wedding.

_**(Thalia's P.O.V.)**_

This was absolutely dreadful. The makeup, dresses, all the fussing over every possible detail of how I looked and what I would wear. I couldn't wait to be done with it all and just be able to by myself and with Percy, away from all this calamity.

"Absolutely, definitely not." I scolded Aphrodite in her attempts at putting me in pink, yellow, bright blue and other assorted colored dresses.

"We will continue this shortly, I must see to the mess of a fiance you have." I couldn't help but sigh in relief, when she said this and left to deal with Percy.

The Hunters kept poking and fussing over my appearance for a little while longer until Artemis came into the room, tired looking.

"My lady, how are you?" I asked her politely, as she pulled over and chair and sat down next to me.

"This is all so exhausting." She stated flatly, looking at me solemnly.

"I know what you mean entirely. I wish this could just be done and over with." I realized after stating it, that she meant something a bit different that my trouble with preparing.

"It's somewhat of a break, having a wedding between two heroes. It has actually been a while since we've had one to celebrate." She paused a moment, the tone in her voice dropping. "What concerns me, is that I'm losing a very good lieutenant, and at what might be a crucial time as well."

I couldn't help but gulp before she reassured me that everything was fine. I pulled on her hand as she got up and started to leave.

"I know it won't be the same, but you aren't losing me entirely." I searched for the words, smiling at my sister kindly. "If the girls don't mind me sticking around, someone has to watch your back after all."

She smiled and leaned back in close for a moment to whisper to me. "I left you a present in the closet, a dress that I'm sure you'll find much more to your liking."

I hugged her before she left again, and went to check the closet and present from my lady. I was completely taken back by the dress, nearly gushing at the sight of it.

"Everybody, you have to see this." I nearly squealed, causing an influx of Hunters to poor into the bedroom and all admire the dress with me. Hanging itself up in the over sized closet was a black lace wedding dress, that stopped at knee length, with a new pair of black combat boots resting underneath it. "It's so perfect. Thanks a lot, Lady Artemis."

**A/N: I know there might be a few grumblings, but the next chapter will indeed have the wedding, plus a little extra more. I decided to split the chapter into two parts, due to the overwhelming potential size it would bear, but hopefully the final chapter presents itself quickly. Thanks for everyone still keeping up with the story, and hope you all enjoyed the chapter and the next one to come.**


	21. The Wedding

**A/N: Sorry for the delay, things have been a bit out of control with some family and housing issues (my bathroom floor completely collapsed due to a rather freakish kind of storm haha) but thanks for everyone for hanging in there, and hopefully the chapter and moment so many of you have been waiting for, is well to your liking. Without further postponement I give you Percy and Thalia's wedding.**

* * *

(_**Percy's P.O.V.)**_

It had been a good half hour before Aphrodite returned to finish my extreme makeover, wedding edition. She was far less talkative than before, and I partly suspected that Thalia was making things slightly difficult on how she wanted to present us. She half angrily tossed around my hair in one arrangement after another for a couple of moments before glancing at me into the mirror and grinning like Cheshire cat.

"Percy, how about we try and find a good tux that works well on you?" She cut in, pulling me by the hand towards the back closet.

"I think, and this is just from a parental standpoint." Poseidon poked his head into the door, having apparently been listening just outside it with Apollo and Hermes. "That a good sea based color would be best."

"Ooh, positively. We must definitely try those first." Aphrodite beamed a smile at me, which made me slightly wince.

The tuxedo fitting began in an array of colors. Blues, greens, and anything you could possibly imagine as being "sea-based" came across her mind and found it's way in the path of "tryouts", as Aphrodite so agonizingly put it.

It seemed like an eternity of switching tuxedos of all color and variety, with the helpful Apollo making sure to keep Aphrodite from trying to undress me beyond the tuxedo, undershirt and boxers. I caught her lustful gazes on occasion and couldn't help but wish for this to be over as soon as could be.

"Alright boys." Aphrodite beckoned beyond the bedroom door. "Come take a look at the choice, and give us your opinions."

My dad and Hermes both joined our now growing crowd and both gave approval of the tuxedo we had settled on.

"That's quite an excellent choice. Mind if I slip into one similar?" My dad, Poseidon, just had to ask. I nodded my consent, as did Aphrodite eagerly.

Luckily, Aphrodite had made sure that nobody was allowed to see myself or Thalia, once my tuxedo and her wedding dress were picked out and the preparations were wrapping up. I couldn't help but feel rather confident about the outfit though, my emotions were positively steamrolling.

The tuxedo was teal, a medium blue-green mix, with a wing tip design to it. The trim was all done in black and came complimented with a teal bow-tie, the dress shirt underneath was a similarly fashioned black button up. I also had a pair of black Wingtip shoe that completed the ensemble.

"You all set to get started?" Aphrodite asked with kind of knowingly proud smile etched across her face.

"As ready as I'll ever be." I couldn't help the nervous apprehension of the wedding and my immortal marriage to one of my closest friends.

As we all stepped out into the hall, I was greeted by my collection of best men. Grover, Nico and Tyson stood awaiting myself and the others, all dressed in the sea theme for my side of the wedding, but each with their own unique colors and designed tuxedo.

Grover was wearing a forest green tuxedo, with a darker green dress shirt and matching bow-tie. Technically, Grover wasn't wearing the matching pants but he looked quite the Satyr sight in his half tuxedo style.

Nico was wearing a dashing midnight blue tuxedo with black trim on the edges and collar, accompanied with a midnight blue bow-tie and light blue dress shirt. He wore dark blue Wingtip loafers to match.

Lastly was my half-brother Tyson. He wore a viridian tuxedo, a light green shade with a tint of blue, with a white dress shirt and viridian bow-tie. Instead of the matching pants, Tyson had on a pair of brown jeans and his Cyclops sized sneakers.

"Lookin' nice G-man." I couldn't help but compliment my best man and absolute best friend.

"You all look splendid." Aphrodite complimented the whole collection of us.

I saw a few notable blushes from Grover and Nico as we all shared a laugh at Apollo's shining golden tuxedo, my dad's matching Teal colored tuxedo and Hermes simple blue tuxedo that had similar stripes down the side like his jogging suit.

"Let's not keep everyone waiting, boys." Poseidon smiled at us before clapping me on the back and holding me up for a moment.

"Listen, Perseus. I just wanted to tell you of how proud I am of you. This is quite a special moment for our family, and I especially mean for myself, your mother and step-father."

I took the moment to quickly sneak a hug to my dad, before we composed ourselves and Aphrodite hurried us out of the hall and into our places to await the bridesmaids and my bride to be. She assured me that it wouldn't be much longer, and so I proceeded to nervously scan the crowd and guests.

_**(Thalia's P.O.V.)**_

I could hear the commotion build in the grand hall, which meant that Percy must be causing a stir with his best men now. I couldn't help but wonder at what he'd be wearing and how he'd look now. The door swung open as Aphrodite returned for the final touches on my makeup and to let everyone just wait for me, as she put it.

Aphrodite and her entourage of attendants constantly fussing nonstop over me, allowed for a few moments to go over my thoughts carefully. It especially let me run back over the scene that played out previously the night before.

* * *

_~Flashback to Yesterday~_

"_Well, my groomsmen are all picked out. Have you gotten your bridesmaids sorted?" Percy asked me with a growing concern._

_It was the last possible moment for this, but I was still unsure who the maid of honor was going to be. I could try and ask Annabeth, she had been my best friend for close to a decade now, but things between the three of us had been more than uneasy the past couple of months. That left me unsure about who to fill those shoes. I couldn't ask Rachel, we had never gotten that close and she was helping to perform the ceremonies from her Oracle standing._

"_I wish I knew, really.. but unless something just drops into our laps, I got nothing." I forced a smile, as Percy held hold of my hand._

"_Don't sweat it, Thals. I think we should talk with Annabeth about it."_

_I felt a bit uncomfortable doing so, especially since there was an evident rift between us now, despite the patchwork repair job we attempted in Montana._

"_Are you sure, Percy?" I hesitated slightly with the thought. "I'd hate for things to get awkward or for something worse to break out later."_

"_We gotta try, she was a best friend to us both." He replied with a gentle squeeze of my hand, before lightly kissing me across the lips softly._

_It took a couple of minutes longer than expected to track Annabeth down, and she reluctantly agreed to pause her Olympus remodelling to have a small chat with us._

"_So the big day is tomorrow, huh?" Annabeth asked with a slight apprehension in her voice._

"_That's what we were hoping to talk with you about." I chirped with a lightly nervous tone. "I know things haven't been very good between any of us lately, but we used to be best friends."_

_Annabeth glanced off to the side for a moment before darting her attention back and forth between Percy and myself. What seemed to drag on for minutes, passed silently between the three of us before Percy spoke up._

"_We both hope that you would be the maid of honor."_

"_You're both sure of this?" Annabeth asked with a tint of anxiety, her eyes scanning back and forth between us at a frantic pace._

"_If we can't trust each other.." Percy began to remark his reply to her inquiry._

"_Then we can't really trust anyone, can we?" I smiled sincerely, finishing his sentence with a light punch to the arm of Annabeth, who I still hoped remained my best friend._

_She rolled her eyes emphatically, before giving a dramatically drawn out and smiled. "I guess there is no point trying to argue this one.. I've missed both of you quite a good deal, thanks a lot guys."_

_I pulled Annabeth into a tight hug, both of us momentarily forgetting the groom to be who was standing beside us. When Percy cleared his throat after a moment, we both gave short giggles and pushed him farther away._

"_I have to start preparing to marry your kelp for brains. So get lost already, we have lots of work to get underway."_

_Percy gave a groan as he began to trudge off down the hallway, but I quickly called back to him and rushed up behind him. "Aren't you forgetting something?"_

_As he spun around, I planted a loving kiss along his half pouting lips. "Much better, see you soon."_

_I took back off towards Annabeth as quickly as I had darted after my fiance, interlacing our arms together as we raced down to Artemis's for preparations. My nerves and emotions were both crazily all over the place, but having Annabeth by my side again helped make things feel a world better._

_~End Flashback~_

* * *

I was abruptly yanked back from my momentary world, as Aphrodite burst in loudly. She was explaining what everything looked like to Artemis and the few attendants who hadn't rushed off to see the beginnings of the ceremony.

"Thalia, let's get your dress on, it's time to go. Your grand audience is awaiting your appearance."

I couldn't put off the moment any longer, nor did I want too. We had finishing everything and I was ready at last. I grabbed the door and pulled it open, butterflies escaping from me as the door swung open wider and wider.

"Thalia, this isn't an easy moment.. but as your sister, I'm very proud of you." Artemis said with a heartwarming, fear melting smile and light hug. "Now, go show 'em how a Huntress shoots her arrows, straight for the heart."

* * *

(_**Percy's P.O.V.)**_

I stood anxiously along with my trio of best men, our varied style of tuxedos and dress made quite the impression on the mortal and immortal guests. Aphrodite had ushered us to enter first, to let the girls each gain a bit of their own attention with their array of dresses.

After a couple of minutes worth of fidgeting, they arrived at last. Nico nudged me in the side playfully as we lightly whispered back and forth like awestruck teenagers.

"Here comes the first wave of awesome."

Grover tried his best not to burst out in a bleat of laughs at Nico's commentary on the individual bridesmaids and their elegant dresses, I tuned most of their conversation out as I watched our counterparts, minus the bride, parade down the aisle and eventually assemble opposite us.

Phoebe and Elyssa, both two of Artemis's Hunters and good friends with Thalia, wore similarly colored gray dresses. Grover helped to point out the differences to me though, as Elyssa had on a cadet grey colored a-line V-shaped halter-neck dress, that stopped just around her ankles.

Phoebe had on a form fitting isabelline grey dress, which is a pale grey-yellow in color. Her dress had simple but wide shoulder straps and drew lots of attention to her body, stopping just above the knees.

"Holy.." Nico gasped at Phoebe, before remembering his thoughts. "She looks amazing, I'm gonna have to see if she'll dance with me later."

Tyson gave a snorting laugh, my attention though focusing on Annabeth and Rachel. I gulped and steadied my nerves, Grover placed an understanding hand on my shoulder for support.

Rachel wasn't actually part of the bridesmaids, as she was helping attend to the overall ceremony, being the Oracle and everything. Her dress was a metallic gold, shimmering brightly as the lights hit it with a relentless spray of angles. It reminded me of the gold outfit from our quest in the Labyrinth, but with a much more defined look, seeing as it was an impressive ball gown type of dress.

Annabeth was another story altogether, she made my stomach jump slightly. She looked stunning and I found myself caught off guard. She was wearing a strapless slate grey dress, that had a tightly woven lace midriff with a silky flowing train. Her hair was pulled back enough to let her bangs hang over her face gently, giving her a princess kind of hairstyle. Before my thoughts could wander anywhere further, the music started up and the doors swung open wide.

"Whoa..." was all that I heard escape Nico, Grover and Tyson in unison. I felt my heart nearly pause as I saw Thalia make her way slowly and elegantly down the aisle. My palms burned with a sudden burst of sweat and dryness at the same time. I stood frozen as I stared, watching the most beautiful girl in existence make her way towards me.

Thalia had on a knee-length black dress, that had flares of punk styling unique to her. Her arms were wrapped in black lace that ran from her wrists up just past her elbows. Her black lace midriff had a layer over it like a leather corset and the skirt flared like a medieval ball gown, with intricate layers.

As she neared me, I hesitantly reached out of clutched at her hand. We stood side by side, in front of her father Zeus and a whole host of guests. I couldn't stop staring into her eyes as she smiled softly to me, making my courage rapidly build. I squeezed her hand as our vows began.

I focused intently on Thalia as Chiron went through the opening formalities and paid the proper tributes to both of our parents. It took a couple of minutes before he finally got around to our part of the ceremony and began uniting us as one.

"Perseus Jackson, do you take Thalia Grace to be your eternal wife and partner. The bearer of your soul and being, the lady of your faith and temples. To see through until the ends of time?" Chiron asked me, Rachel standing beside him giving me a grinning nod yes.

"Yes, forever and always. I'm all in for life." I said with a boyish grin and glance, recanting the words we had agreed to say for each other.

"Now then. Thalia Grace, do you take Perseus Jackson to be your eternal husband and partner. The bearer of your soul and being, the lord of your order and castles. To see through until the ends of time?" Chiron asked Thalia this time, Rachel writing into a large leather bound ledger type of book, annotating our wedding into Olympus records.

"Yeah, I'm all in tonight and for life." Thalia replied back with the same blissfully happy grin that I shared.

We ceremoniously slipped the simple silver and black rings onto our fingers, even though it wasn't a necessity with this being an Olympus style wedding. I caught a glance of my mother in the throng of guests crying between my step-dad Paul and my dad Poseidon, seated on the front row of my half of the guests.

"By the powers vested in me, I now pronounce the immortal union of a son of Poseidon and daughter of Zeus." Chiron looked from us then out to our seated guests and families. "Perseus and Thalia Jackson."

"Hurry up and kiss her." Rachel quietly encouraged as we stood there locked hands, gazing at each other.

I leaned in and passionately kissed my wife for all of Olympus to witness. A well of emotions about to explode inside of me, when a loud clapping erupted at the back of the large palace. I had only been married for a couple of moments when the whole room turned to face the visitor, who offered an unnerving old poem.

"We wear the mask that grins and lies, It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes. This debt we pay to human guile; With torn and bleeding hearts we smile."

Hades burst from his burst in a fit, as all eyes focused on the teen with chocolate brown hair, medium in length and three vicious looking scars on the left side of face.

"Julian, what do you think you're doing here!" Hades roared at the young man.

"Father, I assure it, I only came to pay my respects to the newlyweds." The youth, Julian, replied curtly.

"This isn't the time or place to be making yourself present, especially not after all this time." A voice blared from the middle of my seating section of guests.

Fumio stood up with a frustrated expression, and I took the moment to lean into Nico to ask if he knew the party crasher. Nico gave a slow nod, and explained as shouts erupted back and forth to the youth.

"Percy, he's one of the missing Romans, and an adopted son of Hades."

I groaned at the explanation and quickly had to catch Thalia up to speed about the events from the chat with Barrick and the Knights. This seemed most stressing news, with terrible timing.

Hades brought my attention back to the interruption at hand. "I want a quick explanation as to why you're even here, boy. You better talk fast if you want to remain living."

Julian put his hands up defensively and gave a unnerving smile. "I apologize to everyone here, but this was the only way I'd be taken seriously if I attempted to bring this news to you at any other time."

Zeus made a motion for Hades to take Julian out of the palace chamber and find out the details. "We will deal with this interruption after our celebration is over, understood?"

Everyone agreed to the decision and Fumio went with Hades to get to the matter of Julian's appearance.

Our scheduled event then proceeded to continue on, as if the blip had never occurred. We had quite a few numbers selected for songs that we had picked to dance too. Our first song was to "Can't Help Falling In Love" by Elvis Presley, which was followed by some Paramore, Lifehouse, and a couple others.

I finally took a breather after a couple of songs, letting Zeus cut in to dance with Thalia as I sat down at our table. Grover informed me that Nico had followed shortly after Hades and Fumio, which I nodded a bit absent minded too.

"Go enjoy your big day, we'll handle all the unimportant things." Grover said as he patted me on the back, leaving the table as my mom sat down next to me.

"I can't believe my little boy has grown up so much, so quickly." My mom gushed as she hugged me tightly.

I sat there just chatting about minor details with mom and Paul, when Thalia and Zeus both joined us at the table. Poseidon followed a moment afterward to borrow Zeus for a chat with Hades, but they both promised to return quick enough.

"You look absolutely lovely, darling." My mom complimented my wife, which made me smile broadly as I thought about being married to Thalia.

"Hey goofball, why the cheesy grin?" Thalia asked as the three of them watched me curiously.

"Just thinking of how glad I was to be married to you." I replied before giving her a kiss.

Paul and mom both proceeded to get up to give us some alone time at the table, but Paul patted Thalia's shoulder and offered a word. "It's good to have you in the family, please feel free to think of us as your parents also."

Before a rush of greetings and congratulations from everyone could erupt, I pulled Thalia close and whispered how happy I was to have her. "Our family really is something, I'm glad we have everyone and I'm especially glad for you."

After the endless parade of people wishing us the best and so forth, our dad both came back to the table and sat down with us, joined by Artemis and Chiron.

"We have your tickets for your honeymoon." Zeus said as he handed us a pair of tickets for a resort in Hawaii. "I'm sure you'll take good care of my daughter." I smiled and shook his hand as my dad cut into the serious moment. "Don't you mean my daughter now, brother?"

We all couldn't help but laugh at the comment, before Chiron commented that we should slip away before things get any crazier around here. Artemis offered to escort us both to our destination and would keep the Hunters out in the islands for some recreational hunting.

As Artemis helped us slip out past the throng of the crowd, she caught me off guard with a sudden hug and threat. "You better take special care of my baby sister, or else."

I couldn't help but nervously gulp, causing both girls to laugh at my discomfort. I gripped Thalia's hand tightly as headed out of the Empire State building and towards Central Park, where Artemis had said we would travel by her sleigh to reach our destination, via personal escort.

Once airborne and in the night sky, I couldn't help but voice my concern for the mysterious intruder at the wedding. "Do you think everything will be alright?"

Artemis sighed but began to explain the situation to us, and why we were being allowed a short window together before hell broke loose.

"After getting all the information from Julian, the boy who crashed your wedding. Hades informed father and uncle, and Fumio and Nico spread the word to the rest of us individually. The Romans are rising and preparing for war, being backed by Atlas and some of his scattered help."

I clenched my jaw at the information, Thalia just listening quietly as she held onto my arm. She asked the question that seemed the most appropriate next.

"How bad would a war with the roman demigods be?"

"Well, when it was just Romans against Greeks, demigods only.. you called the event the Civil War. Throw in some Titans and possibly the Veritas, and we have a full scale war in the balance. Like always."

I thought about the words and just held tightly onto my wife, Thalia. Things were sure to get crazy, but we frequently did crazy. It was how life as a demigod had been, so life as a god wouldn't be much different.

"We'll deal with things accordingly when the time arises, but first I plan on enjoying my honeymoon with you. You share my past, present, future and forever. You're everything I could ever want. I love you." I said as I deeply kissed the girl I loved more than anything.

"You're my second chance, but the only one that will ever matter. I love you too." Thalia replied back as we started the first day of our immortality together, and sealed the moment with our most passionate kiss yet.


End file.
